SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Serious Fraud Office

Jim Cousins: To ask the Solicitor-General what the whole time equivalent staff resources of the Serious Fraud Office were in (a) 1997, (b) 2001 and (c) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Harriet Harman: There were 166 whole time permanent equivalent staff as at 1 April 1997 and 44 non permanent members of staff.
	There was an average of 195 whole time permanent equivalent staff in 2001 and 15 non permanent members of staff.
	There are 247.5 whole time permanent equivalent staff as at 6 July 2004 and there are 29 non permanent members of staff.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Curry Commission Report

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much public funding has been supplied to the (a) Assured Food Standards, (b) Food Chain Centre, (c) English Farming and Food Partnerships, (d) Red Meat Industry Forum, (e) Food from Britain, (f) Cereals Industry Forum, (g) CST Recorded Ram Marketing Group Ltd., (h) Farmcare, (i) First 4 Farming, (j) IGD, (k) Meadow Quality, (l) Plunkett Foundation, (m) Rural Energy and (n) UK Sire Services Ltd. to support project work recommended by the Curry Commission Report; what goals were set for each project; and what outcomes were achieved.

Alun Michael: The public funding supplied to each of these bodies, the goals set for each project and the outcomes achieved are set out in a table which has been placed in the Library of the House. For projects funded under grant schemes, the awarded amount is match-funded by the organisation.

Foot and Mouth

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department is withholding from businesses in connection with charges arising from the provision of goods, services and works carried out during the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001.

Alun Michael: The Department is disputing £53.3 million of charges from contractors arising from the provision of goods, services and works during the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001. The Department has been advised that the retention is justified fully on any or all legal, accounting and quantum grounds including, but not limited to, the inability of some contractors to provide any substantiating evidence in support of their charges; some contractors seeking payment on the basis of incorrect contractual rates; and claims being made involving duplicate charges or based on other accounting errors.

Mercury

Bill Olner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with the British Dental Association about the use of fillings containing mercury.

Alun Michael: The Department issued a consultation paper in May 2003 which included information from the British Dental Association and received a response from the British Dental Association to that consultation paper. The consultation paper and a summary of the responses can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/crematoria/index.htm . The BDA will also be consulted on the follow-up consultation paper.

Mercury

Bill Olner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many crematoria were involved in the monitoring carried out by the Department designed to establish mercury levels emitted into the atmosphere after cremation.

Alun Michael: The monitoring referred to was undertaken in 2000 by AEA Technology on behalf of the Federation of British Cremation Authorities. Three crematoria were involved, which were chosen to include one of each of the three main types of cremators currently in use in the UK and also to represent different types of location.

Milk Price

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with farming organisations about the farm gate price of milk.

Alun Michael: Ministers frequently meet with farming representatives for discussions which include the farm gate price of milk. Farming organisations are also represented on the Dairy Supply Chain Forum, chaired by my noble Friend Lord Whitty, which meets quarterly.
	The forum provides a framework in which all within the dairy supply chain, can come together to discuss the challenges facing the sector and develop collaborative solutions to improve the efficiency and promote the sustainable development of the sector. It does not discuss price negotiations, which are a private commercial matter between farmers and purchasers. However, the work of the forum and its various subgroups should help address some of the underlying causes of low farm gate prices.

Vital Villages Programme

Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether a value-for-cost study has been carried out on the Vital Villages programme;
	(2)  when the budget for the grants in the Vital Villages initiative will end;
	(3)  how many parishes have received a grant from the Vital Villages programme to help produce an action plan outlining the needs of the community;
	(4)  how much has been distributed through grants in the Vital Villages initiative;
	(5)  if she will replace the Vital Villages programme; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: The Countryside Agency's Vital Villages programme was established in 2001. It was always intended as a time-limited means of exploring what would best enable parishes to identify their service needs and have a greater say in their own affairs. The total funding distributed from the start of the Vital Villages programme in 2001 until April 2004 is in excess of £40 million, including an investment of £14 million this year. The agency has met its three-year target and the programme is now closed to new applicants. From April 2001 to date, over 1,044 parishes have received funding for their parish plans. The programme was closed to new applications at the end of March 2004 but the agency will honour all existing commitments, which run until 31 March 2006. The emphasis in the programme from now on will be on sharing the best practice learned from successful projects as widely as possible and encouraging others to take up the ideas. In addition, the agency has commissioned an independent quantitative and qualitative evaluation to measure the impact of the programme.
	Announcements about any successor to Vital Villages will be made before the programme ends. With a variety of partners, we are considering how best to promote the lessons of the programme and support rural communities that need assistance through mainstream programmes.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Democratic Republic of Congo

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of UK aid to Burundi is spent on assisting refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo; what discussions he has had with the Burundi Government on assisting refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo; and what plans he has to deliver emergency aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo refugees in northern Burundi.

Hilary Benn: A DFID assessment mission visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi between 22 and 29 June and is liaising with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and United Nations agencies inter alia to look at support needs for DRC refugees in Burundi. DFID's assessment is that to date, agencies based in Burundi such as International Rescue Committee, Medecins Sans Frontieres and GTZ have mounted an effective response to the influx from DRC. Resourcing of these operations appears to be covered, although we have made it clear that DFID is ready to consider supplementary requests for support on an urgent basis.
	The team also discussed the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees proposal to develop an inter-agency contingency plan to cover any potential larger influx from Eastern DRC. DFID keeps in close contact with the Government of Burundi and the UN Mission in Burundi (ONUB) on the situation of refugees and internally displaced persons and their support needs.
	In parallel, DFID has contributed £500,000 to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) under the 2004 UN Consolidated Appeal Process (UNCAP) for Burundi, to support the repatriation of refugees and reintegration of returnees to Burundi during the period March to December 2004.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the loss of humanitarian aid and property in the Democratic Republic of Congo during recent looting.

Hilary Benn: Two DFID staff visited parts of eastern DRC in late June. They reported that in some areas a large amount of NGO equipment, especially communications, had been lost during recent periods of unrest.
	DFID is seeking ways to provide quick-disbursing support to enable NGOs to respond rapidly to meet the emerging needs of the vulnerable populations in eastern DRC. This will depend on NGO requirements, but could include increased air services (light aircraft are often the most effective and secure means of travel in much of DRC) and help to replace looted NGO communications equipment and vehicles.

Employment Tribunals

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many cases against his Department, the agencies for which it is responsible and its predecessor organisations have been brought to employment tribunals in each year since 1997 in relation to (a) equal pay, (b) sex discrimination, (c) race discrimination, (d) disability discrimination and (e) unfair dismissal; how many cost awards were made against (i) respondents and (ii) applicants; and how much has been spent (A) settling and (B) contesting claims.

Hilary Benn: The following table outlines the number of cases DFID has defended at tribunals each year since 1997. Where available, details are provided on the type of employment tribunal, the cost of settlement and the cost of contesting the claims.
	
		
			  Number of tribunal cases started that year Case type Ruling Cost settling claim Total cost of litigation 
		
		
			 1997 1 Not available In favour of DFID None Not available 
			 1998 1 Unfair dismissal In favour of DFID None Not available 
			 1999 0 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2000 1(1) Unfair dismissal In favour of DFID None £20,000 approximately 
			 2001 0 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2002 0 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2003 0 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	(1) Closed in 2003.
	DFID records its overall spend on legal advice from the HM Treasury Solicitor/Scottish Executive. However, costs of each individual piece of litigation are not recorded separately. The amount for the year 2000 case was an internal DFID estimate.
	In addition to the above details, there have been nine further cases where legal action was started. In six of these cases, settlement was reached. In the other three cases, the Civil Service Appeal Board found in favour of DFID.

Ministerial Air Travel

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list for each year since 1997 the number of miles flown by each Minister in his Department on official departmental business.

Hilary Benn: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	However, since 1999 the Government has published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government has also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. These report information reaching back to 1995–96. Information for 2003–04 is currently being assembled and will be published shortly. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

PRIME MINISTER

Ministerial Committees

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 29 June 2004, Official Report, column 168W, if he will make a further statement on the reasons (a) the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (b) he are not on the Ministerial Sub-committee on Relations with the USA.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to add to my previous answer.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Broadband

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations she has received about difficulties in accessing broadband technology in rural areas; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Department has received over 100 items of correspondence on this subject since January. The proportion of rural households within reach of a broadband service is rising quickly, and there is now a realistic prospect that every community in the country will have broadband by the end of next year. The joint DTI-Defra rural broadband unit has carried out important work in this area, including arranging broadband demonstrations at seven county shows over this month and last month.

Company Directors (Remuneration)

Ann Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will take steps to stop the practice of continuing to reward company directors who fail to fulfil their duties.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Directors' remuneration is a matter for companies and their shareholders.
	It is provision of the Combined Code that remuneration committees should avoid rewarding poor performance: best practice guidance issued by the Association of British Insurers, the National Association of Pension Funds and the Confederation of British Industry, also makes it clear that this is unacceptable.
	In 2002, the Government introduced the Directors' Remuneration Report Regulations. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 25 February, the full impact of the 2002 Regulations cannot be measured after one year alone. For this reason, the Department has commissioned detailed monitoring of compliance with the Regulations for this year's reporting season.
	I will make an announcement about this exercise in due course.

Exports (China)

Kali Mountford: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what extra help the Government will provide to industries to co-operate through the supply chain to export to China.

Mike O'Brien: UK companies have access to the full range of UK Trade and Investment's services in the UK to help them win business in China along with the Embassy and Consular network across China. On supply chains the DTI has provided funding for the Manufacturing Advisory Service and the Industry Forum schemes to help industry work better with their supply chains.

Women Managers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of women in managerial positions in businesses.

Jacqui Smith: Some 30 per cent. of managers are female compared with 18 per cent. in 1998, and in the public sector, women account for more than half of managers. A major barrier for women reaching the top is balancing work and family responsibilities, and the introduction of the new rights for working parents will go a long way to help with this. As part of our partnership relationship with business, I have also led a series of roundtables with several FTSE 100 companies to help women move into senior positions and to increase diversity in the UK boardrooms.

Software Patents

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions are being held by the Department with EU partners on software patents.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Agreement was reached by the Council of Ministers on 18 May 2004. The proposal will now return to the European Parliament under the normal procedure.

Trade Balance

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which three states the UK has the largest positive trade balance.

Mike O'Brien: In 2003, the three countries in which the UK had the largest positive balance of trade in goods were the USA at £6.2 billion, Ireland at £2.4 billion, and Saudi Arabia at £1.1 billion.

Company Boards (Diversity)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she has taken to increase the diversity of company boards.

Patricia Hewitt: Appointments to company boards are a matter for companies and shareholders.
	Following the publication of the Higgs and Tyson reports, and the "Brighter Boards" booklet last year, my Department organised a series of roundtable meetings to raise awareness about the case for greater diversity on boards and to gather examples of good practice.
	We are currently consulting the Financial Reporting Council and a range of business and other organisations on how best to build on these initiatives and will be making an announcement later in the year.

Economic Statistics (Merseyside)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures her Department intends to take to increase economic activity in people aged (a) 16 to 19 years and (b) over 50 years in Merseyside.

Jacqui Smith: 16 to 19-year-olds benefit from the current Merseyside Objective Programme which improves their employability and transferable skills through Lifelong Learning provision. Measures under this programme currently in place include Action for Employment, Promoting Social Inclusion for Access to the Labour Market and Lifelong Learning Young People and Adults.
	For those in the 50 plus bracket, apart from benefiting from many of the measures set out in the Merseyside Objective 1, priority 2 programme they are supported by a number of Jobcentre Plus initiatives including the newly piloted 50 plus outreach project, New Deal 50 plus and a 50 plus jobsfair.

Equal Opportunities

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures her Department has taken to ensure that women in science, engineering and technology are able to return to work after a career break.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government have been looking at the barriers all women face in returning to work following a career break, and has introduced a range of measures to support those women who wish to return to employment.
	This includes the introduction of the National Childcare Strategy in 1998 to provide accessible, affordable and quality child care for all children, and Government funded schemes to support substantial expansion in child care provision. The Government are also providing substantial help (approaching £2 million a day) through the tax credit system. In April 2003 the Government introduced a package of new measures to enable new parents to request flexible working and their employers have a statutory duty to consider their requests seriously. More recently, I announced that the Government are opening a debate with parents and employers about the issue of choice in balancing work and family life to hear directly from employers and parents with a view to reviewing the existing measures in 2006.
	For women returning specifically to science, engineering and technology careers, DTI is also making available £500,000 per annum for the Resource Centre for Women in SET to develop a dedicated returners package. Full details of the package will be published when the centre is launched on 16 September. This will address both the supply and demand side. The Resource Centre contract specifies providing a range of services to employers including developing a kite marking or award for gender equality HR practices (work life balance procedures; returners re-entry schemes; mentoring schemes etc.), employer networking events and good practice guides.

Fireworks

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reason the period of three weeks was chosen for unlicensed firework sales before 5 November in the proposed 2004 Firework Regulations.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The traditional sale period for fireworks—voluntarily agreed by the industry and retailers since 1979—is approximately three weeks before and a few days after 5 November. Increasingly, certain retailers have been breaking with this tradition and supplying a week or two before and/or after this period.
	It is therefore the intention of the Department, as set out in the consultation document, to simply enshrine this voluntary period of supply in law.

Fireworks

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement as to the reasons why the proposed 2004 Firework Regulations will allow firework sales to continue without licensing at certain times of the year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: As explained in the consultation document, it was the intention of my Department to restrict the sale of fireworks to defined periods—that is—traditional and multi-cultural times of use. With the benefit of preliminary discussions with both retailer representatives and the fireworks industry, we formulated what we considered to be the least bureaucratic way to achieve this aim, that is, to require those that supply all year round to obtain a licence—having the indirect effect of restricting the sale periods for those that do not hold a licence.

Media Diversity

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is on public access to a diverse media, with particular reference to small circulation newspapers and magazines.

Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recognises the contribution made by small circulation newspapers and magazines to a diverse media. However, within the legislative and regulatory framework under which they are required to operate, production of newspapers and magazines is a commercial matter for the companies concerned.

North West Development Agency

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry from how many projects to which it has committed funding the North West Development Agency has withdrawn since 1 April 2003 in (a) Merseyside and (b) Greater Manchester.

Jacqui Smith: The North West Development Agency has not withdrawn funding from any scheme for which it is contractually committed.

North West Development Agency

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by what amount the forward funding commitments of the North West Development Agency have had to be cut to meet budgetary constraints.

Jacqui Smith: The North West Development Agency has developed a detailed three year strategic investment plan which honours all legally committed contracts.

Pension Disputes

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many days she estimates have been lost to strikes in each of the last five years as a result of disputes over changes to pension schemes.

Gerry Sutcliffe: While official statistics classify industrial action by the main cause of the dispute concerned, they do not identify disputes over pensions schemes as a separate category within that classification. It is therefore not possible to give an estimate for days lost caused by disputes over pension schemes or changes to those schemes. Most disputes of this nature are likely to be classified within the broad category of disputes over "extra wage and fringe benefits". The figures for days lost in that category for the last five years are given as follows:
	
		Number of days lost where the main cause is "extra wage and fringe benefits" in all industries and services
		
			  Thousand 
		
		
			 1999 8.0 
			 2000 7.8 
			 2001 2.6 
			 2002 137.0 
			 2003 139.8

Post Office Urban Reinvention Programme

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what sums have been earmarked to compensate sub-postmasters leaving the business in Scotland under the urban reinvention programme;
	(2)  what sums have been earmarked to assist with financing improvements to upgrade retained offices in Scotland under the urban reinvention programme.

Stephen Timms: There is no predetermined list of closures and, therefore, no allocation of funds ring-fenced for Scotland or for any other part of the United Kingdom.
	Nationally up to £180 million has been allocated to compensate sub-postmasters leaving the business under the urban reinvention programme; and up to £30 million has been allocated to fund investment grants.

Tax (Unleaded Petrol)

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total tax payable on the average pump price of a litre of unleaded petrol was on 17 June.

Stephen Timms: As at 14 June 2004, the closest date for which data is available, the total tax payable on a litre of Ultra Low Sulphur Petrol was 59.2 p/litre. This consisted of duty at 47.1 p/litre and VAT of 12.1 p/litre. The average pump price on that day was 81.5 p/litre.

Waste Electrical Equipment

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what representations she has received regarding the implementation of the UK Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations with respect to the disposal of non-household light fittings;
	(2)  what the outcome was of her Department's consultation on the implementation of the UK Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations with respect to the disposal of non-household light fittings;
	(3)  if she will implement the EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive with respect to non-household light fittings so that the developer, or equivalent, rather than the producer is responsible for disposal; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Department has received a number of representations from the lighting industry about the implementation of Directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment in relation to lighting products (the WEEE Directive). The Lighting Industry Federation has met officials on several occasions and I met representatives of the Federation and other lighting producers on 6 July to discuss these matters further.
	The Department intends to publish shortly draft implementing Regulations for the WEEE Directive, together with accompanying guidance, for public consultation. This will take account of the responses from stakeholders to its previous consultation, between 26 November 2003 to 1 March 2004, on a package of implementation proposals for the WEEE Directive. The 219 responses to that consultation included three which referred to lighting products. A summary of the responses to that consultation may be viewed on the DTI's WEEE web page at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/sustainability/weee/WEEE and ROHS Executive Summary.pdf
	The Government expects to implement the WEEE Directive, in the light of amending Directive 2003/108/EC, to make producers supplying to non-household users responsible for the costs of end-of-life management of "historic" waste from equipment placed on the market before 13 August 2005 in instances where they are supplying equivalent replacement products. If the user is not buying replacement products, he will have that responsibility. For "new" waste from equipment placed on the market after 13 August 2005, the Government will expect producers supplying to non-household users and those users in future to reach agreement on allocation or apportionment of the end-of-life management costs as part of their commercial negotiation; and where this is not possible, the responsibility for end-of-life management costs will lie with the producer.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

People Trafficking

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister for Women, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for International Development regarding the trafficking of women and girls for forced prostitution in Kosovo.

Jacqui Smith: I fully support the work of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development, to support the development of an effective justice system in Kosovo that operates in accordance with international standards. This is an essential step in improving human rights and preventing abuses such as human trafficking. We are also working with our partners in NATO and the UN to establish robust, preventative policies and to ensure that anyone accused of trafficking will face justice.

Iraq

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Minister for Women, what support the Government is giving to the Iraqi Women's Higher Council.

Patricia Hewitt: The Iraqi Women's Higher Council (IWHC) was the first of a number of women's organisations to evolve over the last year. Following a scoping study of the needs of new, emerging women's NGOs in Iraq, commissioned by DFID earlier this year, the UK is now supporting the development of a diverse NGO sector. We believe this will provide a strong and sustainable base for ensuring women's voices are heard, and women play a full part in the future of their nation. Currently we are helping to increase women's organisations' influence in national policy and the political process through both the Civil Society Support Fund and the Political Participation Fund.

Commission for Equality and Human Rights

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for Women, if she will make a statement on progress towards a commission for equality and human rights.

Jacqui Smith: We published the White Paper "Fairness for All: A New Commission for Equality and Human Rights" on 12 May, setting out our vision for the new Commission and so place equality and human rights at the heart of society. We shall be consulting on the White Paper until 6 August.

Sporting Clubs

David Stewart: To ask the Minister for Women, what plans she has to propose legislation to outlaw discrimination against women in sporting clubs.

Jacqui Smith: The Government supports the Private Member's Bill put forward by David Wright which would outlaw sex discrimination by mixed-sex private clubs, including sporting clubs, against members, applicants and guests. Sports clubs that are open to the public are already subject to the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 which makes such discrimination unlawful.

Violence Against Women

David Stewart: To ask the Minister for Women what recent discussions she has had regarding the Government's commitment to developing a national strategy to eliminate all forms of violence against women in the UK.

Patricia Hewitt: The Ministers for Women work closely with the Home Office and are active members on the Inter-Ministerial Group on Domestic Violence which leads the implementation of the Government's strategy on domestic violence.
	In the UK domestic violence forms a fifth of all violence crimes (Home Office statistics) and this is why the Government has focussed its strategy by introducing the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill, which is currently going through Parliament. This will ensure that victims are put at the heart of the criminal justice system. The Bill will help ensure an effective police response when victims report domestic violence, and make sure that the civil and criminal law offer the maximum protection to all victims to stop the violence recurring.

Violence Against Women

David Stewart: To ask the Minister for Women what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on (i) the prevention of violence against women, (ii) the protection of women and their families against violence, (iii) the punishment and rehabilitation of offenders against women and (iv) access to justice and reparation for victims of violence against women; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: I have commissioned research on the economic costs of domestic violence. This quantifies the costs of such violence towards both men and women by analysing its impact on public services, the work place and the economy.
	My right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, has an extensive programme of work, both research and in practice, to tackle violence against women. In addition he recently announced a £4 million package of services to help victims of sexual offences. This money will be recovered directly from offenders and will be used to help provide community based services including increasing the number of Sexual Assault Referral Centres—a "one stop shop" where victims can receive help and advice.

TRANSPORT

Cyclists

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 16 June 2004, Official Report, columns 934–35W, on pedestrian/cyclist accidents, when he expects information to be available for the number of incidents in 2003.

Tony McNulty: The figures for pedestrian/cyclist accidents for 2003 were published on 24 June. The details are set out in the following table:
	
		Pedestrian casualties from accidents between cyclists and pedestrians on footway: GB, 2003
		
			 Severity Casualties 
		
		
			 Killed 0 
			 Serious 13 
			 Slight 38 
			 All 51

A27 Lewes Bypass

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what year he expects a quieter road surface to be laid on the A27 Lewes bypass.

David Jamieson: The Government have given a commitment in their 10-Year Transport Plan to reduce traffic noise through a number of measures including the resurfacing of blacktop roads with quieter material when road pavement maintenance is required. The Highways Agency has no plans at present to resurface Lewes bypass as it is structurally in relatively good condition. However the Agency plans to repair rutting in lane one of a 1-kilometre stretch of both the eastbound and westbound carriageways this year. Lower noise surfacing materials will be used on this section only.

British Transport Police

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of (a) outstanding debts to the British Transport Police from train operating companies and freight companies and (b) the cost in police staff time of accessing such funding.

Tony McNulty: (a) Four railway companies are withholding the payment of disputed increases in charges for police services arising from a re-allocation of BTP's costs between its customers. The Department has appointed an arbitrator to make recommendations for the resolution of these disputes.
	(b) The disputed sums are being held on the BTP Authority's accounts as outstanding debts covered by grant-in-aid by the Department. There is therefore no impact on BTP's budget as the annual budget setting process is settled without provision being made for writing off the debts. The outstanding debts do not therefore impact on BTP's day to day operations.

Caravans (M5)

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  on what basis the Highways Agency has decided to restrict the use of the M5 motorway, south of Bristol by caravans;
	(2)  what representations he has received from the Highways Agency regarding the imposition of restrictions on caravans using the M5 motorway, south of Bristol.

David Jamieson: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 7 July 2004, Official Report, columns 706–07W to the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess).

Caravans (M5)

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies have been undertaken by the Highways Agency into traffic flow and leisure vehicles using the M5 motorway, south of Bristol.

David Jamieson: The Highways Agency monitors traffic flow on the M5 motorway, south of Bristol by using traffic counters installed on the Avonmouth Bridge. While these counters are not able to identify leisure vehicles, they are able to distinguish between cars, vans, cars and vans with trailers, buses and coaches and heavy goods vehicles. Output from these counters shows that when the number of cars and vans with trailers increases, the speed of all traffic crossing the bridge drops significantly.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the average carbon dioxide emissions per person per journey from London to (a) Manchester, (b) Edinburgh and (c) Bristol by (i) air, (ii) rail, (iii) lorry and (iv) car.

David Jamieson: The estimates of carbon dioxide emissions per person per journey for the various routes are presented in the tables. Emissions from lorries are per tonne carried per journey. Carbon dioxide emissions are based on latest available factors provided by the National Atmospheric Emission Inventory (NAEI).
	Aviation
	Aviation emissions have been estimated for London to Manchester and London to Edinburgh. There is no London to Bristol service so no aviation CO 2 emission estimates have been made for this route. Aviation emissions are calculated from per passenger kilometre emission factors for short haul journeys and estimates of journey distances. Emission factors are based on passenger loadings of 100 per journey. The data on aviation are taken from DETR's Company GHG Reporting Manual 1999. Short haul refers to journeys of around 500 km.
	Rail
	Rail emissions are estimates of the exact trains used on each of the routes. The emissions on the London to Bristol route are based on average number of passengers obtained from train operating companies. The average occupancy on the London to Bristol route is 44 per cent. for InterCity 125 trains and 47.4 per cent. for Class 180 Adelante trains. For all other rail routes, emissions are based on average number of passengers calculated from average figures for a selection of intercity and commuter services. These equate to approximately 70 per cent. of total seating capacity and are substantially higher than the average 90 passengers per train assumed for national emission factors.
	Coach
	Indicative coach CO 2 emissions are based on a combined emission factor for buses and coaches. We do not have disaggregated data for coaches alone. Emissions of CO 2 per passenger per journey are calculated by multiplying the emission factor by the journey distances. It is assumed that each coach carries an average of 40 passengers.
	Lorry
	Lorry CO 2 emissions are per tonne and have been estimated by multiplying the average tonne per km CO 2 emission factors for lorries by the various journey distances. The average lorry loading factor is 5.29 tonnes based on calculations using data from Transport Statistics Great Britain 2002.
	Car
	Car CO 2 emissions are per passenger estimates calculated from emission factors and journey distances. Car emissions are based on passenger loadings of 1.56 persons per car.
	
		(a) CO 2  emissions London to Manchester
		
			  CO 2  emissions per passenger per journey (kg) 
		
		
			 Aviation 44.9 
			 Rail (Class 90—modern electric train) 5.2 
			 Car 36.6 
			 Coach 4.3 
			 Lorry (per tonne) 60.4 
		
	
	
		(b) CO 2  emissions London to Edinburgh
		
			  CO 2  emissions per passenger per journey (kg) 
		
		
			 Aviation 96.4 
			 Rail (Class 91—modern high speed electric train) 11.9 
			 Car 71.0 
			 Coach 9.2 
			 Lorry (per tonne) 116.9 
		
	
	
		(c) CO 2  emissions London to Bristol
		
			  CO 2  emissions per passenger per journey (kg) 
		
		
			 Aviation n/a 
			 Rail (InterCity 125 diesel train) 13.5 
			 Rail (Class 180 Adelante—modern diesel train) 10.6 
			 Car 21.3 
			 Coach 3.3 
			 Lorry (per tonne) 35.0

Civil Aviation Authority

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisations provided (a) legal, (b) financial and (c) auditing services valued at over £25,000 to the Civil Aviation Authority in each year since 2001; and what the value of these services was in each case.

Tony McNulty: The requested information relating to the Civil Aviation Authority is tabulated as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 (a) Legal  
			 Financial year ended 31 Mar 2002  
			 Richards Butler 96,607.86 
			 Total 96,607.86 
			 Financial year ended 31 Mar 2003  
			 Richards Butler 305,640.90 
			 Total 305,640.90 
			 Financial year ended 31 Mar 2004  
			 Richards Butler 192,807.39 
			 Simmons, Meglaughlin and Orr 71,377.92 
			 Total 264,185.31 
			 (b) Financial  
			 Financial year ended 31 Mar 2002  
			 Airport Innovation 32,066.28 
			 A. S. Biss and Co. Ltd. 88,229.69 
			 Deloitte and Touche 69,000.00 
			 Deloitte and Touche Consulting Grp. 64,100.00 
			 Europe Economics 126,300.00 
			 Fern Logic Ltd. 39,975.00 
			 Hedra Ltd. 81,873.17 
			 IMR Solutions 68,281.73 
			 LECG Ltd. 35,225.92 
			 NERA UK Ltd. 180,923.54 
			 Ove Arup and Partners Intl. 27,946.23 
			 Sonitax Ltd. 32,204.28 
			 Watson Wyatt Partners 55,575.00 
			 Total 901,700.84 
			 Financial year ended 31 Mar 2003  
			 A. S. Biss and Co. Ltd. 97,329.84 
			 Deloitte and Touche 105,880.00 
			 Deloitte and Touche Consulting Grp. 28,450.00 
			 Ernst and Young 125,072.32 
			 Fern Logic Ltd. 43,320.00 
			 IMR Solutions 51,077.97 
			 Logica UK Ltd. 46,675. 00 
			 The Royal Bank of Scotland 273,355.00 
			 Watson Wyatt Partners 54,000.00 
			 Charles Yates 49,600.50 
			 Total 874,760.63 
			 Financial year ended 31 Mar 2004  
			 A. S. Biss and Co. Ltd. 130,023.95 
			 Deloitte and Touche 121,277.00 
			 Deloitte and Touche Consulting Grp. 69,845.00 
			 Fern Logic Ltd. 32,240.00 
			 The Royal Bank of Scotland 59,127.50 
			 Watson Wyatt Partners 41,632.50 
			 Total 454,145.95 
			 (c) Audit  
			 Financial year ended 31 March 2002  
			 Deloitte and Touche 42,000.00 
			 Financial year ended 31 March 2003  
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 42,000.00 
			 Financial year ended 31 March 2004  
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 52,000.00

Civil Aviation Authority

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has a statutory responsibility to meet (a) the deficit and (b) the interest on that deficit incurred by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Tony McNulty: Section 8(1) of the Civil Aviation Act 1982 lays a duty on the CAA to conduct its affairs so as to recover the costs it incurs, taking one year with another, in discharging its statutory functions. The Secretary of State, therefore, has no statutory responsibility to meet any deficit incurred by the Authority.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total value was of (a) technical and financial contracts, (b) technical consultants used on a call-off basis and (c) financial consultants used on a call-off basis by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in each year since 2001.

David Jamieson: DVLA spent the following:
	
		£million
		
			  2001–2002 2002–2003 2003–2004 
		
		
			 (a) Technical Contracts (IT outsource and development) 47 59 92 
			 Transition and Contract set up costs 0 33 0 
			 Financial Contracts 0 0.2 0.1 
			 (b) Technical IT consultants on call off basis 0 0 0 
			 (c) Financial consultants on call off basis 0 0 0

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisations provided (a) legal, (b) financial and (c) auditing services valued at over £25,000 to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in each year since 2001; and what the value of these services was in each case.

David Jamieson: DVLA made the following payments (including VAT) valued at over £25,000 in the years specified:
	
		(a) Legal services -- £000
		
			 Organisation 2001–2002 2002–2003 2003–2004 
		
		
			 Treasury Solicitors — 40 — 
			 Veale Wasborough — — 149 
			 Denton Wilde Sapte 676 796 68 
			 Bird and Bird — 173 64 
			 Eversheds — — 45 
		
	
	
		(b) Financial services -- £
		
			 Organisation 2001–2002 2002–2003 2003–2004 
		
		
			 Price Waterhouse Coopers — — 129 
			 KPMG — 196 — 
		
	
	
		(c) Auditing services -- £
		
			 Organisation 2001–2002 2002–2003 2003–2004 
		
		
			 National Audit Office 45 48 65

Driver, Vehicle and Operator Group

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total value was of (a) technical and financial contracts, (b) technical consultants used on a call-off basis and (c) financial consultants used on a call-off basis, by the Driver, Vehicle and Operator Group in each year since 2001.

David Jamieson: The central DVO Group spent:
	
		£000
		
			  2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 (a) Technical and financial 1,252 2,356 2,343 
			 (b) Technical consultants 1,252 2,356 2,248 
			 (c) Financial consultants 0 0 95

Driver, Vehicle and Operator Group

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisations provided (a) legal, (b) financial and (c) auditing services valued at over £25,000 to the Driver, Vehicle and Operator Group in each year since 2001; and what the value of these services was in each case.

David Jamieson: With one exception central DVO Group has dealt with Department of Transport officials on legal, financial and auditing matters. The time/cost involved is not recorded or billed.
	The exception was in February 2004 when we paid £95,235 to PricewaterhouseCoopers for half the cost of a fitness to trade financial review (category b) of the case for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to gain Trading Fund status.

Driving Standards Agency

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total value was of (a) technical and financial contracts, (b) technical consultants used on a call-off basis and (c) financial consultants used on a call-off basis by the Driving Standards Agency in each year since 2001.

David Jamieson: The information is as follows.
	
		(a) Technical contracts (there were no financial contracts)
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2001–02 87,316 
			 2002–03 623,171 
			 2003–04 1,047,198 
		
	
	
		(b) Technical consultants used on a call-off basis
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2001–02 87,316 
			 2002–03 247,171 
			 2003–04 418,520 
		
	
	(c) Financial consultants used on a call-off basis:
	Nil.

Driving Standards Agency

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisations provided (a) legal, (b) financial and (c) auditing services valued at over £25,000 to the Driving Standards Agency in each year since 2001; and what the value of these services was in each case.

David Jamieson: The information is as follows:
	(a) Legal Services
	
		£
		
			 Financial year 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Wragge & Co 31,752 — — 
			 Eversheds 70,280 — — 
			 DLA — 39,150 65,100 
			 Beachcroft Wansbroughs — 45,838 111,877 
		
	
	(b) Financial Services
	Nil.
	(c) Auditing Services
	Nil.

Galileo Satellite

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2004, Official Report, columns 1247–48W, if he will make a statement on the rights afforded to (a) Israel and (b) the United States under the agreement reached on the Galileo satellite navigation project.

David Jamieson: holding answer 5 July 2004
	The draft agreement with the state of Israel is still to be ratified. The agreement itself will confer few rights upon Israel. It will define the areas where the parties agree to work together to their mutual benefit as partners in the programme. It gives Israel the right to enter into negotiations with the European Commission for this purpose and to participate in a Steering Committee established to manage the agreement. Israel may, subject to a further agreement, participate in the Galileo Joint Undertaking and its successors but this will depend on the level of funding that Israel is prepared to invest in the programme.
	The agreement with the United States focuses on achieving full interoperability between Galileo and its Global Positioning System (GPS) without interfering with the performance of either. It provides a framework for co-operation between the parties and defines the compatibility between the GPS and Galileo systems. It also affirms the right to free trade in goods and services related to both civil systems. Each party has a right to object to any proposed changes to the other's radio signals. The agreement also establishes joint committees that will meet to oversee the working of its various aspects.

Government Targets

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what progress has been made towards meeting the targets set out in, Our towns and cities: the future, relating to (a) journey times on the London underground, (b) road congestion in large urban areas, (c) increasing bus use, (d) increasing rail use, (e) reducing the number of people killed and injured in road accidents and (f) increasing light rail use;
	(2)  what public service agreement targets were due to be met by his Department by 31 March; how many of these have been met; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what performance targets have been set for his Department, agencies and non-departmental bodies since June 2001, stating in each case (a) the target to be reached and (b) the date by which it was to be reached.

Tony McNulty: The targets, which make up the Department's public service agreement, were agreed in the Spending Review 2002 and came into effect in April 2003. Most of these have a 2010 deadline. They replace earlier targets set out in the "10 Year Plan, Delivering Better Transport" and reflected in "Our Towns and Cities: the Future".
	The Department's Autumn Performance Report, presented to Parliament in December 2003, and its Annual Report, presented in April 2004, give details of progress towards each target. The Department will report again on progress in December 2004.
	The Annual Reports of each of the Department's agencies and non-departmental bodies give details of their contribution towards the Department's public service agreement targets.

Hazard Perception Testing

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what formal (a) training and (b) qualifications are required for trainers of hazard perception testing.

David Jamieson: In order to join the statutory Register of Approved Driving Instructors, potential instructors are required to pass a three-part examination comprising practical and theoretical elements. Qualified instructors also undergo a periodic test of continued instructional ability, which will be augmented by a computer-based assessment later this year. While statute does not require formal training or qualifications for those providing training to learner drivers in preparation for the theory test, we strongly recommend that such training is linked with practical driving lessons, and those can only be provided by Approved Driving Instructors within the statutory scheme.

Highways Agency

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisations provided (a) legal, (b) financial and (c) auditing services valued at over £25,000 to the Highways Agency in each year since 2001; and what the value of these services was in each case.

David Jamieson: The Highways Agency's requirements for legal, financial and auditing services have largely been met by officials within either the Department for Transport or the Agency itself. However, since 2001, legal and financial services have also been provided to the Agency by the following external organisations:
	Legal:
	Arnheim Tite and Lewis
	Berwin Leighton Solicitors
	Berwins
	Bond Pearce Solicitors
	Davitt Jones Bould
	Denton Wilde Sapte
	Eversheds
	Greenwoods Solicitors
	Mace and Jones
	Michelmores
	Pannone and Partners
	Tite and Lewis
	Treasury Solicitor
	Valuation Office Agency
	Financial:
	Cap Gemini Ernst and Young Uk Plc
	Marconi Software Solutions Ltd
	Maximum Connections Consultancy Ltd
	Office Of Government Commerce
	Oracle Corporation Uk Ltd
	Sigma
	The value of these services in 2002–03 and 2003–04 was as follows:
	
		£000
		
			  2002–2003 2003–2004 
		
		
			 Legal 27,097 31,697 
			 Financial 6,172 3,878 
		
	
	It will take the Agency some further time to derive the corresponding information for 2001–2 from an accounting system that was decommissioned in May 2002. That information will be provided as soon as it is available.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisations provided (a) legal, (b) financial and (c) auditing services valued at over £25,000 to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in each year since 2001; and what the value of these services was in each case.

David Jamieson: Organisations which provided legal, financial or auditing services to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency are as follows:
	
		(a) Legal services:
		
			   £ 
		
		
			 2001 Stephenson Harwood (London) 56,550 
			 2002 Constant and Constant (London) 86,715 
			 2002 Treasury Solicitor 45,624 
			 2003 Treasury Solicitor 36,917 
		
	
	(b) No organisations provided financial services.
	
		(c) Auditing services:
		
			   £ 
		
		
			 2001 National Audit Office 63,000 
			 2002 National Audit Office 63,000 
			 2003 National Audit Office 63,000

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total value was of (a) technical and financial contracts, (b) technical consultants used on a call-off basis and (c) financial consultants used on a call-off basis by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in each year since 2001.

David Jamieson: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has not used financial consultants in the years in question. Technical consultancy expenditure amounted to:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2001 1,537,374 
			 2002 1,241,664 
			 2003 830,520 
		
	
	None of which was on a call-off basis.

Park-and-ride Schemes

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the park and ride schemes which have been given approval since 1 January 2003; whether each was (a) a new scheme and (b) an extension to an existing one; whether the site was located in green belt land; and how many additional parking spaces were included.

Tony McNulty: Three major public transport schemes containing a new park and ride element have been approved since 1 January 2003. They are:
	Liverpool South Parkway—a fully approved scheme. No green belt land is involved. The number of car spaces created will be 240;
	Coleshill Interchange (Warwickshire)—a provisionally approved scheme. The development would be partly in green belt land. 200 car parking spaces would be created; and
	A386 Plymouth Northern Corridor—a fully approved scheme. No green belt land is involved. The number of car spaces created will be 450.
	Local authorities are also developing other park and ride type schemes using block capital funding for integrated transport. These schemes are not subject to a Government approval process.

Road Accidents

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out in respect of each local authority area in England and Wales the number of fatalities from road traffic accidents in (a) 1997, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003.

David Jamieson: holding answer 6 July 2004
	The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total value was of (a) technical and financial contracts, (b) technical consultants used on a call-off basis and (c) financial consultants used on a call-off basis by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency in each year since 2001.

David Jamieson: The following answers are for Vehicle Inspectorate only.
	
		(a) Technical and financial contracts: Total values
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2001–02 3,220,930 
			 2002–03 4,146,575 
			 2003–04 4,042,190 
		
	
	Note:
	These do not include the totals detailed at part b and c
	
		(b) Technical consultants used on a call-off basis: Total values
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2001–02 89,100 
			 2002–03 119,050 
			 2003–04 116,375 
		
	
	
		(c) Financial consultants used on a call-off basis: Total values
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2001–02 18,390 
			 2002–03 1,100 
			 2003–04 31,110

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisations provided (a) legal, (b) financial and (c) auditing services valued at over £25,000 to the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency in each year since 2001; and what the value of these services was in each case.

David Jamieson: The information is as follows:
	(a) The following organisations provided legal services to VOSA:
	
		2001–2002: VI Division only
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Bannister Preston 44,839 
			 Bruce Weir 52,096 
			 Foinette Quinn Solicitors 65,580 
			 Grindeys Solictors 41,566 
			 Hine and Co 38,968 
			 Shulmans 113,836 
			 The Bradin Trubshaw Partnership 34,892 
			 The Treasury Solicitior 76,260 
			 Veale Wasbrough 26,435 
		
	
	
		2002–2003: VI Division only
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 AMS Law Solicitors 26,041 
			 Argles Stoneham Burstows 37,064 
			 Bannister Preston 90,417 
			 Belmores Solicitors 25,706 
			 Bird and Bird 74,931 
			 Grindeys Solicitors 35,464 
			 Hine and Co 49,460 
			 Shulmans Solicitors 115,687 
			 The Bradin Trubshaw Partnership 35,370 
			 The Treasury Solicitor 41,468 
			 Woodfme Foinette Quinn 32,358 
		
	
	
		2003–2004: VI Division only
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Argles Stoneham Burstows 31,093 
			 Bannister Preston 69,014 
			 Barry Culshaw Solicitors 30,676 
			 Bird and Bird 252,669 
			 Grindeys Solicitors 25,326 
			 Hine and Co 36,635 
			 Martin Dalton 28,659 
			 Sherman Philips Solicitors 38,373 
			 Shulmans Solicitors 137,950 
			 The Bradin Trubshaw Partnership 30,193 
			 The Treasury Solicitor 58,377 
			 Veale Wasbrough 115,677 
			 Woodfme Foinette Quinn 25,888 
		
	
	(b) Nil.
	(c) The National Audit Office are responsible for providing auditing services to VOSA. The following fees were payable:
	
		
			   £ 
		
		
			 2001–2002 Vehicle Inspectorate only 39,500 
			 2002–2003 Vehicle Inspectorate only 39,000 
			 2003–2004 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 73,000

HEALTH

Abortion

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what records are kept of babies surviving abortion;
	(2)  in what format a death following an incomplete abortion is recorded; and what public access there is to these records;
	(3)  how many babies survived abortion in each of the last five years and for what period of time they survived in each case;
	(4)  whether incomplete abortions are recorded as abortions;
	(5)  whether abortion forms completed in advance of the abortion are maintained on record irrespective of the outcome of the abortion; and in what form these are available for (a) public and (b) academic scrutiny;
	(6)  in what format records of an incomplete abortion are maintained.
	(7)  what prosecutions have been brought against (a) medical practitioners and (b) others for (i) negligence and (ii) other matters in respect of incomplete abortions in the last three years.

Melanie Johnson: Under the Abortion Act 1967, as amended, any registered medical practitioner who terminates a pregnancy is required to notify the Chief Medical Officer. The abortion notification form does not collect information on whether the foetus survived the abortion.
	Incomplete abortions where the pregnancy continues, which can happen in early abortion, are not included in the published abortion statistics.
	When a foetus is born which shows signs of life but subsequently dies, the birth and death must be registered in the district where the birth and death happened.
	The Department does not hold information on prosecutions in respect of incomplete abortions.

Alcohol

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of cases presented at accident and emergency units in the last 12 months involved alcohol as a causal factor.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect the information requested.

Arm's Length Bodies

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the £500 million he has authorised to be transferred from arm's length bodies will be spent.

Rosie Winterton: We intend to publish a report on the review of arm's length bodies later this month.

Clinical Trials

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the clinical trials on adult users, whose findings have so far been examined as part of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and Committee on Safety of Medicines review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants, were completed in each of the periods (a) 1985 to 1989, (b) 1990 to 1994, (c) 1995 to 1999 and (d) 2000 to 2004.

Rosie Winterton: The Committee on Safety of Medicines expert working group on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has so far examined trials in adult users involving paroxetine. The following table indicates the number of trials of adult use of paroxetine which were completed in each of the time periods specified.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1985–89 67 
			 1990–94 38 
			 1995–99 27 
			 2000–04 14 
		
	
	The review of other SSRIs is continuing and the working group's report will be published later this year.

Cosmetic Treatments

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with what bodies he requires practitioners working in clinics offering non-surgical cosmetic treatments to be registered; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	There is no requirement for practitioners to be registered with a particular body but HABIA—the standards setting body for the industry—recommend that they are qualified and a member of an appropriate professional body.

Cosmetic Treatments

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines for safe practice his Department offers to clinics that offer non-surgical cosmetic treatments; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	HABIA the standard setting body for the industry produces Health and Safety Implementation Packs for hairdressing and beauty therapy which cover the legislation that affects the industry.
	HABIA, in conjunction with the industry and stakeholders, such as health practitioners, develops National Occupational Standards (NOS). These define the competence needed to perform tasks and take account of health and safety requirements. Standards have been developed into qualifications and can also be used in job descriptions, staff appraisal, induction and training.

Cosmetic Treatments

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what regulations exist to protect customers of clinics that offer non-surgical cosmetic treatments; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	Legislation applicable to the industry includes the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Electricity at Work Act 1989.
	Removal of hair using light or laser systems and carrying out photo rejuvenation is covered by the Care Standards Act 2003. To epilate the hair follicle using diathermy, galvanic and blend techniques falls under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982. Providing massage and ultra-violet tanning treatments is covered by local bye-laws in some parts of the UK.

Cosmetic Treatments

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what inspections have been undertaken by (a) the National Care Standards Commission and (b) the Healthcare Commission into cosmetic surgery clinics; and if he will publish the results;
	(2)  what action his Department has taken in response to the recommendations made in the National Care Standards Commission report on cosmetic surgery (a) that clinics be inspected annnually and (b) that internal auditing be organised within each clinic and reported to the National Care Standards Commission every six months; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what steps have been taken following the Chief Medical Officer's response to the National Care Standards Commission report on an inspection of cosmetic surgery clinics that he wanted to initiate a full review of cosmetic surgery practice across England;
	(4)  what plans his Department has to conduct a review of cosmetic surgery practice; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), has established an expert group to review the regulation of cosmetic surgery in England. The group is considering all relevant issues and will take into account all available evidence, including two reports on cosmetic surgery establishments published in February and June 2003 and a report proposing improved inspection methodology published in April 2003, by the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC). The expert group is due to report to the CMO in the summer.
	The regulator, previously the NCSC and now the Healthcare Commission, is responsible for publishing reports of its inspection work.

Cosmetic Treatments

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what sanctions are available to him against private cosmetic surgery clinics not following guidelines and advice give by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department itself has no powers to impose sanctions against individual private healthcare establishments regulated under the Care Standards Act 2000. That Act provides for the regulatory body, now the Healthcare Commission, to take proceedings against any registered healthcare establishment that contravenes or fails to comply with the Act or the Private and Voluntary Health Care Regulations and for the courts to impose penalties on summary conviction ranging from levels one to five on the standard scale.
	Failure to follow non-statutory guidelines or advice given by the Department is not an offence.

Cosmetic Treatments

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what measures have been taken to ensure that patients of private cosmetic surgery clinics receive fair and accurate information concerning the treatments available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what action his Department has taken in response to the recommendation made in the Health Committee's report on The Regulation of Private and Other Independent Healthcare that health warnings be placed on all advertising for cosmetic surgery; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Private and Voluntary Health Care Regulations (S.I. No. 3968, 2001) include the requirement that all independent healthcare establishments regulated under the Care Standards Act 2000 prepare and implement written statements, as part of their governance procedures, of the policies to be applied and the procedures to be followed in relation to the provision of information to patients and others.
	The national minimum standards for independent healthcare expand on this requirement. Each establishment is required to produce a patients' guide, to be reviewed annually, in a format suitable for the patient profile of the establishment with regard to language and translation and for patients with a disability. The aim is to provide patients with clear and accurate information about their treatment and its likely costs, and to ensure that advertisements comply with the code of practice on advertising and do not mislead.

Dentistry

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been put in place to ensure primary care trusts are ready to implement changes to the way dentistry is organised locally from April 2005.

Rosie Winterton: The Department and the shadow special health authority for dentistry are working closely with strategic health authorities and primary care trusts (PCTs) to ensure they are ready to implement the changes proposed for dentistry.
	We have just completed a series of PCT roadshows around the country, in Manchester, London and Birmingham, which were designed to help PCT commissioners and dental leads for the proposed changes.

Dentistry

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost is of training a dentist to NHS standards.

Rosie Winterton: There are some variations in costs between dental schools, but we estimate that the total revenue costs of the pre-clinical and clinical training of a dentist over the five year course average £140,000.

Dentistry

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times (a) he and (b) senior civil servants have met the (i) British Dental Association and (ii) General Dental Council regarding the recruitment of overseas dentists from EU accession countries in the last six months.

Rosie Winterton: I met with the British Dental Association on 15 March, when international recruitment was discussed in general terms. The recruitment of overseas dentists from European Union accession countries was not specifically discussed. I met with the General Dental Council (GDC) on Tuesday 6 July to discuss the recruitment of overseas dentists.
	The Chief Dental Officer is a member of the GDC and international recruitment is an on-going issue for GDC meetings. The Department has also discussed with the GDC the process for dentists wishing to join the GDC register and to ensure the process is straightforward and swift.

Departmental Investment

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the schemes for which his Department and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are co-funders, how much was invested by each Department; and what the overall cost of each programme was.

Melanie Johnson: Together with my right hon. Friend, the Minister for Sport and Tourism (Richard Caborn), I chair the cross-Government activity co-ordination team (ACT). The ACT is not a direct funding body, but has been tasked with identifying and co-ordinating existing work across Government and identifying new sources of funding for evidence based interventions and innovative pilot projects.
	The Department, together with Sport England (a Department for Culture, Media and Sport funded non-departmental public body) and the Countryside Agency, funds the local exercise action pilot scheme with an overall cost of £2.5million over three years. The Department is contributing £1 million and Sport England £0.7 million to this work.
	In addition to these cross-Government schemes the Department of Health is taking a range of actions.
	In April 2004, the Chief Medical Officer published his report, At least five a week, which brings together the latest evidence on physical activity and health.
	The Department, as a co-funder alongside the Countryside Agency and the British Heart Foundation, has contributed £27,000 to a pilot scheme that has distributed 10,000 pedometers for use in primary care.
	The Department and Sport England have jointly commissioned research to evaluate existing questionnaires used to determine participation in physical activity and sport.
	We have also commissioned work to develop an objective measure of fitness for eventual inclusion in the Health Survey for England and a short physical activity questionnaire for use in general practice.
	The Department published a national quality assurance framework for exercise referral systems in 2001 and we have also contributed funding of £120,000 over a three-year period to help establish the register of exercise professionals.
	The Government has been consulting on further proposals for how we can increase levels of activity and encourage more people to be more active through the consultation document, "Choosing Health? Choosing Activity". The responses will inform preparation of the Public Health White Paper to be published in the autumn.

Drug Treatment

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to expand the residential drug rehabilitation services.

Melanie Johnson: The National Treatment Agency has a national work programme to bring down waiting times and improve access to residential rehabilitation. They have also set up a national steering group to advise the progress of the work programme. The programme includes:
	specific work to improve the efficiency of the system to access residential treatment, which includes a national online database of current vacancies in residential rehabilitation units (Bedvacs) to make sure clients are matched to vacancies;
	the implementation of new models for regional commissioning of residential drug treatment by the end of 2004; and
	a systematic assessment of the need for residential drugs treatment in each part of England.

Empty Houses

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for how many empty houses his Department is responsible; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: My Department has no responsibility for any houses.

Environmental Sustainability

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what have been identified as the most significant sustainable development impacts in relation to the operation of his Department's estate.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's estate consists mainly of offices. The most significant sustainable development impacts are water and energy consumption, waste production, and travel.

Environmental Sustainability

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken by his Department to review arrangements for public reporting of its sustainable development impacts.

Rosie Winterton: The Department currently reports sustainable development impacts through its website and the Departmental annual report. The Department has reviewed these arrangements, and will continue to do so to ensure they remain appropriate and accessible.

Environmental Sustainability

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements his Department has to report publicly on its key sustainable development impacts.

Rosie Winterton: In line with standard Government procedures, the Department reports on its main environmental impacts through its website.
	Since November 2002, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has monitored Departments' performance against targets set out in the "Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate". "Performance data is published in the annual Sustainable Development in Government Report" (http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/sdig/reports/index.htm). The second annual report, published in November 2003, contains data based on the financial year April 2002 to March 2003. Copies are available in the Library.
	There is also a summary of progress in the Department's annual report.

Environmental Sustainability

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the non-office sites on his Department's estates which have been identified as being likely to provide opportunities for significant water savings.

Rosie Winterton: No sites have been identified.

Environmental Sustainability

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes there have been in water consumption by his Department in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has records for four of its major London buildings. The figures show that consumption each year in these buildings was as follows:
	
		
			  Cubic metres 
		
		
			 1997–98 60,768m(4) 
			 1998–99 30,507m(4) 
			 1999–2000 28,428m(4) 
			 2000–01 25,440m(4) 
			 2001–02 22,167m(4) 
			 2002–03 27,287m(4) 
			 2003–04 22,256m(4)

Environmental Sustainability

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has joined the Watermark project.

Rosie Winterton: No, but independently the Department has reduced the annual water consumption per person below the March 2004 target in the framework for sustainable development in the Government estate.

Environmental Sustainability

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress there has been in reducing (a) road transport vehicle carbon dioxide emissions and (b) single occupancy car commuting in his Department against the baseline year.

Rosie Winterton: The Department fleet has reduced from 132 vehicles in 2003 to 87 vehicles in 2004. There has been a reduction in emissions and increase in the use of LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) vehicles as a cleaner alternative in 2004. Vehicles purchased over the last two years have been assured to comply with Euro IV regulations on cleaner emissions.
	Single occupancy car commuting figures are not collected by the Department and are therefore not available. However, we are taking steps to discourage commuting by car to the Department's principal offices, especially in London, by reducing the car parking spaces available.

Environmental Sustainability

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what parts of his Department's estate are not covered by the commitments set out in the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate.

Rosie Winterton: The commitments set out in the Framework for sustainable development do not cover those parts of the Department's estate that are not directly owned or managed by the Department as its ability to influence environmental practice is extremely limited in such cases. In the main, these cover small groups of staff and the majority of the Department's estate is covered by the commitments in the Framework.

Health Care

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was invested in healthcare provision in each hospital in each of the last 10 years in (a) Burnley and (b) Lancashire.

Melanie Johnson: The information is not available in the format requested. Expenditure per weighted head in the Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area, which includes the constituency of Burnley, has increased from £600.03 in 1997–98 to £1,173.57 in 2002–03 (the latest year available). This does not represent the total expenditure per head as an element of health expenditure cannot be identified by SHA area.

Health Care

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how his Department intends to provide adequate health care to people with learning disabilities.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth (Mr. Jenkins) on 15 March 2004, Official Report, columns 117–18W.

Health Protection Agency

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he will put in place to ensure that the Health Protection Agency supports the development of frameworks to protect the patient, as set out in paragraph 2.27 of the NHS Improvement Plan.

Melanie Johnson: The overarching role of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) is to protect the patient by protecting the population. The corporate and business plans of the HPA set out an extensive programme of work over the next five years to achieve this aim. They include 14 strategic goals with supporting objectives and milestones.
	In the context of the NHS Improvement Plan, one of these specific objectives is to support the national health service in implementing "Winning ways; working together to reduce healthcare associated infection in England" by providing data to enable development and evaluation of intervention strategies applied in the NHS.
	We will hold the HPA to account for its achievement of all of its objectives, by the normal accountability and performance review mechanisms.

Hospital Endoscopes

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what reports he has received of incidents of insufficient decontamination of hospital endoscopes;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on measures to ensure sufficient decontamination of hospital equipment, with particular reference to flexible endoscopes;
	(3)  when audits have been conducted into decontamination procedures for flexible endoscopes.

Melanie Johnson: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) operates a reporting system for adverse incidents concerning all medical devices used within England. In 2001, the MHRA received a report of an incident where a hospital was not following the correct procedure for operating the equipment used to decontaminate endoscopes. This report was investigated by MHRA in consultation with the manufacturer and healthcare user. The hospital was advised of the correct procedure by the manufacturer and the hospital's risk manager was informed of the findings. MHRA has received no further reports from England.
	Following recent reports in Northern Ireland of inadequate decontamination of endoscopes, on 23 June as a precautionary measure, MHRA issued a medical device alert to all trusts in England, advising them to carry out an immediate assessment of endoscope decontamination processes, for both flexible and rigid endoscopes. In line with MHRA's procedures, this alert was forwarded to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales for them to consider publication.
	As a result of information obtained from a series of visits carried out by NHS Estates (NHSE) to reprocessing facilities between March and November 2001, the Department adopted a two-stage strategy for improving decontamination.
	The first stage involved the allocation of funds to address the most urgent needs that national health service trusts had identified as a result of their reviews. All NHS trusts in England had access to reprocessing services of an acceptable standard by December 2001.
	The second stage of the strategy involves ensuring that all NHS trusts in England have access to decontamination services that are both sustainable and meet the most up to date standards. Although the standards to be met—those underpinning the Medical Devices Directive (93/42/EEC)—are set nationally, the way in which they are met is decided locally. To this end, strategic health authorities have drawn up strategies for improving decontamination across the whole of their health systems.
	Guidance drawn up by NHSE and issued to the NHS in England recommends that NHS trusts should undertake regular reviews and audits of all aspects of the process of decontamination—including flexible endoscopes—within their organisations. NHSE has developed an audit tool for NHS trusts to use in conducting their self-assessments. Such audits result in action plans to address any deficiencies that have been identified. The Department does not collect information about when such local audits have been carried out.

Induction Centre Screening

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the cost (a) per person and (b) in England of screening people in induction centres for (i) TB and (ii) HIV in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what proportion of immigrants (a) in induction centres where screening is offered and (b) in England have taken up the offer of screening for (i) TB and (ii) HIV in each year since 1997;
	(3)  if he will list the UK induction centres which (a) offer and (b) do not offer asylum seekers (i) voluntary and (ii) routine screening for (A) TB and (B) HIV.

Melanie Johnson: Tuberculosis screening has been incorporated into the general health assessment which is offered on a voluntary basis to all asylum seekers in the Kent (Dover) and Yorkshire and Humberside induction centres since June 2002 and July 2003 respectively. A check for HIV is not done routinely in the centres, unless it is requested by an individual or a specific need is identified by healthcare staff. The costs of the service vary from site to site and case to case and it is therefore not possible to provide a breakdown.
	The Department does not collect information on the numbers of immigrants in England who are tested for TB or HIV. However, locally collected information for the last six months from the Kent (Dover) induction centre suggests that 99 per cent., or 2,378 out of 2,406, of asylum seekers took up the offer of a general health assessment, including TB screening.

Mental Health

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of people with mental disorders.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has not made an estimate of the number of people with mental disorders. However, the Office for National Statistics published "Psychiatric Morbidity Among Adults Living in Private Households, 2000", that describes the prevalence of a range of mental disorders in the general household population. It also describes how people with particular disorders differ from those without any disorder on a range of factors: their background and personal characteristics, including employment and accommodation, physical health, current treatment and service use. This publication is available in the Library.

Mental Health

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will rank each (a) primary care trust area and (b) health authority area by the rate of detentions under the Mental Health Act 1983 in 2002–03; and how many detentions there were in each area.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not available in the requested format.
	Information on the number of detentions under the Mental Health Act 1983 of patients in national health service facilities by strategic health authority (SHA) and the rate of detention per 100,000 of the SHA population in England in 2002–03 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Total detentions (on admission and subsequent to admission) in NHS facilities Rate of detention per 100,000 of the SHA population 
		
		
			 England 45,064 91 
			
			 By SHA   
			 North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire 760 47 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 1,035 64 
			 Essex 1,063 66 
			 West Midlands South 1,105 72 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 1,595 73 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 1,152 73 
			 Kent and Medway 1,187 75 
			 Thames Valley 1,614 77 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 886 78 
			 Dorset and Somerset 938 78 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 1,708 78 
			 Trent 2,062 78 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 1,455 81 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 1,271 85 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 1,644 86 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 1,204 87 
			 South Yorkshire 1,114 88 
			 Surrey and Sussex 2,338 91 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 2,079 92 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 2,200 94 
			 Greater Manchester 2,421 96 
			 South West Peninsula 1,525 96 
			 South West London 1,312 101 
			 West Yorkshire 2,101 101 
			 North East London 2,002 130 
			 North West London 2,587 145 
			 South East London 2,563 169 
			 North Central London 2,143 176 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures exclude previous legislation (fifth schedule) and other Acts.
	2. A patient may be sectioned more than once under the Korner aggregate return KP90.
	3. Populations used are 2002 end of year estimates based upon the 2001 census.
	Source:
	Department of Health form KP90.

Mental Health

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with user and provider bodies in relation to the proposed Mental Health Bill.

Rosie Winterton: Formal consultation has taken place on the review of mental health legislation through the Green Paper "Reform of the Mental Health Act" 1983 (November 1999), the White Paper "Reforming the Mental Health Act" (December 2000), and the draft Mental Health Bill and consultation document published in June 2002. Throughout the review I have met with representatives of all the key user and provider bodies. Since publication of the draft Bill, I have held a series of meetings attended by individual users, voluntary organisations, health and social care professionals and national health service and local authority managers, specifically to discuss the practical operation of policies underpinning the draft Bill.
	On 26 November 2003 the Secretary of State, John Reid, announced that a revised draft Mental Health Bill will be brought forward for pre-legislative scrutiny in this session and key stakeholders will be invited to give evidence to the Parliamentary Scrutiny Committee.

Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he has taken following Mersey Regional Ambulance Service's failure to respond within 14 minutes to 80 calls between 26 and 28 March; and what discussions he has had with (a) Mersey Regional Ambulance Service and (b) Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority on this matter;
	(2)  what steps he has taken following the shortfalls in ambulance provision which occurred in the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service area between 26 and 28 March; and what discussions he has had with (a) Mersey Regional Ambulance Service and (b) Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority on these shortfalls.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 7 June 2004
	Where local ambulance service performance is below required standards, the Department continues to work with strategic health authorities, the improvement partnership for ambulance services and the modernisation agency, to share learning and best practice.

Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he has taken following the meeting held between the Parliamentary Under-Secretary and the hon. Member for Warrington, North to discuss the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service (MRAS); and what discussions have been held with (a) the MRAS and (b) Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority on the matter since then.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 22 June 2004
	Departmental officials continue to have discussions with all strategic health authorities (SHAs), including the Cheshire and Merseyside SHA, as part of a regular review of performance across a full range of issues. The responsibility for performance management of national health service trusts lies with the SHAs.

NHS Card

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the proposed NHS Card referred to in 2.21 of the NHS Improvement Plan will take the form of an entitlement card; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The proposal we are exploring is for a card which would support smart access to personal data and speed confirmation of access to appropriate care. No decision has yet been made as to whether such a card might in future be used as an entitlement card.

Osteoporosis

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of people living with osteoporosis in England.

Stephen Ladyman: An estimated 3 million people in the United Kingdom suffer from osteoporosis. One in three women and one in 12 men over the age of 50 suffer from osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department is taking to ensure that patients who have had an osteoporotic fracture, but who have not fallen, receive adequate treatment and management in the NHS.

Stephen Ladyman: All patients who suffer an osteoporotic fracture should receive adequate treatment and management. To ensure this, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is producing a clinical guideline on the assessment of fracture risk and prevention of osteoporotic fractures in individuals at high risk. The guideline will refer to, update and extend the evidence base of previously published guidelines and technology appraisals and those currently under development. NICE is the independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on treatments and care for those using the national health service in England and Wales. Its guidance is for healthcare professionals and patients and their carers to help them make decisions about treatment and healthcare.

Primary Care Trusts

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will release the findings of the review of primary care trusts undertaken by the Medicines Partnership task force.

Rosie Winterton: The results of the survey carried out by the Joint Medicines Partnership task force to determine the extent to which primary care trusts have implemented medication reviews in accordance with the older people's national service framework are being analysed and are due to be announced in the autumn.

Pulmonary Disease

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to his Answer of 9 March 2004, Official Report, columns 1453–4W, on pulmonary disease, how he had told primary care trusts to interpret the term aspirational;
	(2)  pursuant to his Answer of 9 March 2004, Official Report, columns 1453–4W, on pulmonary disease, what timescale he expects to be used in meeting aspirational development standards, with particular reference to the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary and secondary care.

Stephen Ladyman: Even though primary care trusts have not specifically been told how to interpret the term aspirational, it would be assumed that they would try their hardest to implement any guidance when asked by the Secretary of State.
	The consultation document, "Standards for better health", which set out the draft standards, was launched on 10 February 2004. The consultation ended on 4 May 2004. The standards will be published later in the year once responses from the consultation have been collated.
	It is the responsibility of the Healthcare Commission, taking into account the healthcare standards, to develop criteria to review the national health service. Exactly how this will involve an assessment of the implementation of National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance is for the Healthcare Commission and NICE to liaise upon and determine.

TREASURY

Accounting Officers (Ministerial Directions)

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions since 1 October 2003 he has been informed of a Minister issuing a direction to an accounting officer as set out in paragraphs 14–17 of the Treasury document, 'The Responsibilities of an Accounting Officer'; on which grounds the note of dissent was issued in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Treasury has not been informed of any directions issued by Ministers to Accounting Officers under this guidance, since the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 8 June 2004, Official Report, column 369W.

Child Care Tax Credit

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families with equivalised income of less than 60 per cent. of median will benefit from the extension of the child care tax credit to the provision of child care in the family home announced by the Minister for Children on 17 May;

Andrew Selous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many families with equivalised income of less than 60 per cent. of median he estimates will benefit from the extension of the child care tax credit to the provision of child care in the family home announced by the Minister for Children on 17 May;
	(2)  what the latest estimate is of the annual cost of child care credit; and what the additional cost is of the changes announced by the Minister for Children on 17 May;
	(3)  what his latest estimate is of the cost of the child care credit; and what estimate he has made of the additional cost of the changes announced by the Minister for Children on 17 May.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Wycombe (Mr. Goodman) on 30 June 2004, Official Report, column 290W.

Deaths

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total number of deaths recorded was in each year since 1992.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Willetts, dated 5 July 2004
	The National-Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the total number of deaths recorded was in each year since 1992. I am replying in his absence.(182137)
	The latest year for which data are available on deaths registered in each year is 2003. Figures are shown in the table below for each year from 1992 to 2003.
	
		Number of deaths registered in each calendar year England and Wales, 1992 to 2003
		
			 Calendar year Number of deaths 
		
		
			 1992 558,313 
			 1993 578,512 
			 1994 551,780 
			 1995 565,902 
			 1996 563,007 
			 1997 558,052 
			 1998 553,435 
			 1999 553,532 
			 2000 537,877 
			 2001 532,498 
			 2002 535,356 
			 2003 539,151

Departmental Staff

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent staff there have been in (a) his Department and (b) agencies of the Department in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: Data on staffing levels in the Chancellor's Departments and their agencies is collated by the Cabinet Office and published in "Civil Service Statistics". Copies are available in the Library, and at www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics. The 2003 edition will be published in summer 2004.

Departmental Water Use

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the non-office sites within his Department's estates which have been identified as being likely to provide opportunities for significant water savings.

Ruth Kelly: Virtually all of the Chancellor's Department's estate is office based. There are no non-office sites within the Chancellor's Departments that have been identified as being likely to provide opportunities for significant water savings.

Economic Inactivity Rates

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the 50 local authority areas with the (a) lowest and (b) highest rates of economic inactivity among the working age population; and what those rates are.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Willetts, dated 5 July 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about economic inactivity. I am replying in his absence. (182124)
	The following table gives lists the 50 local authorities in the United Kingdom with the highest and lowest economic inactivity rates (persons neither employed nor unemployed expressed as a percentage of the total population of working age), together with the rate for each of those authorities, The data are from the Labour Force Survey and are for the 12 month period ending February 2003, the latest date for which information is available.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to sampling variability.
	
		Economic inactivity rates of working age population(2)Unitary/local authority area 12 month period endingFebruary 2003
		
			   Percentage 
		
		
			 50 highest economic inactivity rates 
			 1 Newham 39.9 
			 2 Tower Hamlets 39.2 
			 3 Manchester 34.8 
			 4 Wear Valley 34.8 
			 5 Merthyr Tydfil 33.8 
			 6 Liverpool 33.6 
			 7 Durham 33.6 
			 8 Neath Port Talbot 33.4 
			 9 Knowsley 33.3 
			 10 Hackney 33.2 
			 11 Nottingham 33.2 
			 12 Middlesbrough 32.9 
			 13 Blaenau Gwent 32.1 
			 14 Barrow-in-Furness 31.6 
			 15 Glasgow City 31.5 
			 16 Islington 31.2 
			 17 Kensington and Chelsea 31.1 
			 18 Westminster, City of 31.1 
			 19 Ceredigion 31.1 
			 20 Leicester City 30.5 
			 21 Haringey 30.3 
			 22 East Lindsey 30.3 
			 23 Newcastle-upon-Tyne 30.2 
			 24 Caerphilly 30.2 
			 25 Easington 30.1 
			 26 Brent 30.0 
			 27 Carmarthenshire 29.7 
			 28 Rhondda, Cynon, Taff 29.5 
			 29 Great Yarmouth 29.4 
			 30 Barnsley 29.4 
			 31 Hartlepool 29.2 
			 32 Blackburn with Darwen 29.0 
			 33 Derwentside 20,0 
			 34 Sedgefield 28.9 
			 35 Thanet 28.8 
			 36 Birmingham 28.8 
			 37 Inverclyde 28.7 
			 38 Greenwich 28.5 
			 39 Anglesey 28.5 
			 40 Southwark 28.3 
			 41 Penwith 28.1 
			 42 Pendle 28.1 
			 43 Halton 28.0 
			 44 Barking and Dagenham 27.9 
			 45 Carlisle 27.8 
			 46 Redcar and Cleveland 27.8 
			 47 Wansbeck 27.7 
			 48 Kingston upon Hull 27.6 
			 49 Bradford 27.5 
			 50 Clackmannanshire 27.5 
			
			 50 lowest economic inactivity rates 
			 1 Forest Heath 7.4 
			 2 Orkney Islands 8.7 
			 3 Runnymede 9.0 
			 4 Cherwell 9.6 
			 5 Tandridge 9.6 
			 6 Eastleigh 10.3 
			 7 Rushmoor 10.3 
			 8 Salisbury 10.6 
			 9 Hart 11,0 
			 10 Vale of White Horse 11.1 
			 11 Test Valley 11.3 
			 12 Stevenage 11.3 
			 13 Blaby 12.2 
			 14 Bracknell Forest 12.6 
			 15 East Hertfordshire 12.6 
			 16 Reigate and Banstead 12.7 
			 17 East Cambridgeshire 12.7 
			 18 West Berkshire 13.0 
			 19 Argyll and Bute 13.1 
			 20 Milton Keynes 13.2 
			 21 Harborough 13.2 
			 22 Kettering 13.2 
			 23 Macclesfield 13.2 
			 24 Horsham 13.3 
			 25 South Northamptonshire 13.3 
			 26 Hambleton 13.3 
			 27 South Staffordshire 13.4 
			 28 Northampton 13.4 
			 29 Mole Valley 13.7 
			 30 South Somerset 13.7 
			 31 Mid Bedfordshire 13.8 
			 32 Crawley 13.8 
			 33 Broadland 13.0 
			 34 West Oxfordshire 13.9 
			 35 Welwyn Hatfield 14.1 
			 36 Melton 14.1 
			 37 Highland 14.1 
			 38 Stratford-on-Avon 14.3 
			 39 Dacorum 14.4 
			 40 Woking 14.4 
			 41 Huntingdonshire 14.4 
			 42 South Cambridgeshire 14.4 
			 43 South Gloucestershire 14.4 
			 44 North West Leicestershire 14.4 
			 45 South Holland 14.4 
			 46 Harrogate 14.4 
			 47 South Bedfordshire 14.6 
			 48 Eden 14.6 
			 49 Mid Devon 14.7 
			 50 Teignbridge 14.7 
		
	
	(2) Men aged 16–64, women aged 16–59

Education Finance

David Rendel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department has (a) had since 17 March and (b) scheduled before 31 July with the Department for Education and Skills regarding the 2005 to 2008 funding allocation for (i) early years education, (ii) schools, (iii) further education and (iv) higher education.

Paul Boateng: Treasury Ministers have regular dialogue with their colleagues in other Departments during as well as outside of spending reviews about a wide range of issues, including those relating to funding. Spending totals for the Department for Education and Skills for the years 2005–06 to 2007–08 were published in Budget 2004 and DfES will set out further details of how it proposes to allocate its settlement in due course.

Equitable Life

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Treasury will publish its submission to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration on Equitable Life.

Ruth Kelly: The submission was made at the request of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration for the purpose of informing her decision whether to undertake any further investigation into the regulation of Equitable Life. It is for her to determine whether and how it is published.
	The Treasury believes that Exemption 10 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information applies as it would be premature for the Treasury to publish its submission in advance of the Ombudsman's decision.

GDP Deflator

Keith Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend his Department's gross domestic product deflator series to cover financial years 2009–10 to 2012–13.

Ruth Kelly: As stated in Annex A, paragraph A.9, of the 2004 Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report (HC 301), the GDP deflator is assumed to increase at a rate of 2 per cent. a year from 2008–09 onwards.

Heavy Fuel Duty

Roy Beggs: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the impact of the increase in heavy fuel duty on (a) power plants and (b) electricity costs in Northern Ireland;
	(2)  what plans he has to introduce a relief on heavy fuel duty for Northern Ireland.

John Healey: When setting duty rates, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer takes account of all relevant economic, environmental and social considerations.
	We have no plans to introduce a relief on heavy fuel oil for Northern Ireland.

Information/Support Services (Disabled People)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received asking him to make funds available from the Government's cross-cutting review to set up (a) information databases and (b) support services for disabled people and carers.

Ruth Kelly: The Government are committed to improving the rights of, and opportunities for, disabled people and carers. Treasury Ministers receive a range of representations on issues concerning disabled people and carers.

Inward Investment (Scotland)

John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the levels of inward investment in Scotland for each year since 1990, broken down by source country.

Paul Boateng: Scottish Development International is responsible for promoting inward investment in Scotland. This is a devolved function and therefore a matter for the Scottish Executive.

PFI Projects (Environmental Impact)

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the (a) sustainability and environmental impacts of private finance initiative projects and (b) the capability of the private finance initiative process to deliver environmentally sustainable projects;
	(2)  what plans he has to make private finance initiative contracts more accountable and transparent in terms of environmental sustainability.

Paul Boateng: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Minister for Environment and Agri-Environment (Mr. Morley) gave on 25 May 2004, Official Report, column 1495W.

Red Diesel

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it the policy of the Government to retain UK control over the tax and excise duty payable on red diesel; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: holding answer 6 July 2004
	Taxation decisions are a matter for the Chancellor and are made after careful consideration of social, economic and environmental factors. The taxation of red diesel, as with all taxes, is regularly monitored and evaluated.

Savings Directive

Nick Hawkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take account of the potential effects on (a) the British Virgin Islands and (b) other overseas territories which rely on their financial services industry of the proposed EU Savings Directive.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Romford (Mr. Rosindell) on 3 June 2003, Official Report, columns. 192–93W.

Stamp Duty

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue implication of restructuring stamp duty on residential property sales so as to charge marginal rates of (a) 0 per cent. on property sales of £120,000 or less, 3 per cent. on sales revenue between £120,000 and £249,999, 5 per cent. on sales revenue between £250,000 and £499,999, 7 per cent. on sales revenue of £500,000 and above, and (b) 0 per cent. on property sales of £120,000 or less, 3 per cent. on sales revenue between £120,000 and £249,999, 5 per cent. on sales revenue equal to £250,000 and above, 0 per cent. on property sales of £120,000 or less, 2 per cent. on property sales between £120,000 and £249,999 and 5 per cent. on sales revenue of £250,000 and above.

Ruth Kelly: The estimated revenue cost, in 2005–06, of restructuring stamp duty on residential property sales according to the three schemes described in the question is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Price of residential property Tax regime 1 marginal rates (%) Tax regime 2 marginal rates (%) Tax regime 3 marginal rates (%) 
		
		
			 £0-£119,999 0 0 0 
			 £120,000-£249,999 3 3 2 
			 £250,000-£499,999 5 5 5 
			 £500,000 and above 7 5 5 
			 Revenue cost (million) £570 £850 £1,440 
		
	
	This does not include any allowance for behavioural changes.

Unclaimed Assets

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what definition the Department uses of an unclaimed asset.

Ruth Kelly: There is currently no official definition in the UK of an unclaimed asset.

Unclaimed Assets

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Department has to assess the total value of unclaimed assets held by financial institutions in the United Kingdom.

Ruth Kelly: The Government announced in the Budget that it supports the efforts of the financial services industry in trying to reunite unclaimed assets with their owners and that it believes that where assets and owners cannot be reunited, it is right that the assets be reinvested in society, as long as the original owners' entitlements to reclaim are preserved. The Government is looking to the industry to build on current momentum, and expand the scope of voluntary action into retail banking and the wider financial sector.
	The Government will assess and report on progress at the time of the 2004 Pre-Budget Report.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Employment Tribunals

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many cases against his Department, the agencies for which it is responsible and its predecessor organisations have been brought to employment tribunals in each year since 1997 in relation to (a) equal pay, (b) sex discrimination, (c) race discrimination, (d) disability discrimination and (e) unfair dismissal; how many cost awards were made against (i) respondents and (ii) applicants; and how much has been spent (A) settling and (B) contesting claims.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created in May 2002 and such information as might be provided by predecessor and linked organisations could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The information requested with regard to completed cases involving the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is as follows:
	Equal pay
	0 cases.
	Race and sex discrimination
	Four cases. No cost awards were made in any of the cases. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister agreed settlements totalling £750 in two cases. The two other cases were settled on terms that did not involve payment. The total amount spent on contesting these claims could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Race discrimination
	Two cases. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister successfully defended one case and the other case was settled on terms that did not involve payment. The total amount spent on contesting these claims could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Disability discrimination
	0 cases.
	Unfair dismissal
	One case. The case was settled on terms that did not involve payment. The total amount spent on contesting these claims could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Homelessness

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the proportion of England's homeless who live in Coventry South.

Phil Hope: Information reported by local authorities about statutory homelessness in their districts is not available at Parliamentary constituency level The number of households reported by Coventry City Council as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category during 2003–04 was 741.
	This represents 0.54 per cent. of the 137,000 households accepted by all local authorities in England during the same period.

Housing (North Somerset)

Brian Cotter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households were living in temporary accommodation in the North Somerset local authority in each year since 1997; and how many of those households included dependent children.

Phil Hope: A summary of information reported by North Somerset District Council about the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation as at 31 March of each year since 1997 is tabled as follows. The number of these containing dependent children or expectant mothers has only been collected since March 2002.
	
		Households in temporary accommodation(3) arranged by North Somerset District Council, as at 31 March
		
			  Total households of which: with dependent children(4) 
		
		
			 1997 53 n/a 
			 1998 100 n/a 
			 1999 372 n/a 
			 2000 456 n/a 
			 2001 554 n/a 
			 2002 294 248 
			 2003 294 (5)—; 
			 2004 419 (5)—; 
		
	
	Notes:
	(3) Households in temporary accommodation arranged by the local authority pending enquiries, or after being accepted, under homelessness legislation.
	(4) Includes an expectant mother. Data only collected since March 2002.
	(5) Not reported
	Source:
	ODPM P1E homelessness returns (quarterly)

Migrant Workers

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment his Department has made of the scale of hot bedding by migrant workers living in overcrowded and dangerous multi-occupancy housing.

Keith Hill: The Government is concerned about the abuse of workers by gangmasters, particularly in agriculture and related areas, and it therefore supported Jim Sheridan's Gangmasters (Licensing) Bill which successfully completed its passage through Parliament on 6 July and which will shortly receive Royal Assent.
	In addition, the measures contained in the Housing Bill currently before Parliament will enable local authorities to license Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO). It will be an offence (subject to a fine of up to £20,000 on conviction) for a licence holder to permit an HMO to be occupied by more persons than for which it is licensed. Under Part 1 of the Bill, local authorities will also have a duty to take enforcement action in respect of any housing conditions which pose a serious threat to the health or safety of the residents of the property.

Neighbourhood Renewal

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many (a) neighbourhood wardens and (b) posts carrying out functions equivalent of those of neighbourhood wardens had been created by each local authority by 1 January;
	(2)  what financial support his Department has provided to assist the setting-up of neighbourhood wardens or their equivalent in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has funded Neighbourhood Warden Schemes since 2000–01. £52.3 million has been provided to assist the setting up of warden schemes during the three-year period 2001–02 to 2003–04.
	As of 1 January 2004 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has funded 1,454 Neighbourhood wardens in 243 schemes in England and Wales. The above funding is not recorded by local authority area. The following table provides details of funding by Government Office Region.
	
		NWT funded wardens by GO Region
		
			 Government office region Number of wardens Number of schemes 2001–02 (£) 2002–03 (£) 2003–04 (£) Total ODPM cost (£) 
		
		
			 London 321 42 1,761,726 5,273,770 7,909,219 14,944,715 
			 South West 97 16 789,616 763,199 1,319,986 2,872,801 
			 South East 130 29 1,116,522 2,067,965 2,248,128 5,432,615 
			 North West 293 49 1,708,263 3,165,904 3,753,241 8,627,408 
			 North East 131 22 1,029,861 1,367,386 966,175 3,363,422 
			 East Midlands 58 10 456,676 884,481 895,237 2,236,394 
			 West Midlands 168 29 973,462 2,239,373 2,635,476 5,848,311 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 174 25 1,186,472 2,206,041 2,606,863 5,999,376 
			 Eastern 66 17 582,807 1,038,931 945,377 2,567,115 
			 Overall 1,438 239 9,605,405 19,007,050 23,279,702 51,892,157 
		
	
	Note:
	This table does not include the £422,000 funding for the five Welsh Neighbourhood Warden Schemes (16 wardens) funded by NMWT.
	The success of this pilot funding is reflected by the fact that 81 per cent. of the first round of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's warden schemes have been sustained through mainstream budgets or other funding streams. There is also a plethora of schemes run by local authorities, registered social landlords, voluntary groups, private security organisations, and others. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister estimates that there are about 250 warden schemes funded from outside budgets.
	The Neighbourhood Renewal Unit also funds a number of schemes in NDC areas, 15 schemes in Neighbourhood Management Pathfinders and others through local NRF. Exact figures are being collected.

Regional Assemblies

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to publish the draft Bill on the proposed regional assemblies.

Nick Raynsford: The Government intends to publish its draft Bill on elected regional assemblies before the Parliamentary summer recess. The orders must be agreed first, because the referendums cannot occur without them, in which case there would be no need to publish a Bill for public information.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Fraud

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce legislation on a fraudulent trading offence for individuals as proposed in the Law Commission's Report Number 277; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Government published a Consultation Paper dealing with this and other proposals to reform the law of fraud on 17 May. I have asked for a copy to be sent to my hon. Friend. Comments are invited by 9 August.

Identity Cards

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what safeguards are proposed to guard against discrimination against ethnic minorities in the identity card scheme.

Des Browne: The draft legislation and the administration of the scheme is bound by the Race Relations Act 1976, as amended by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. Therefore, the scheme must have due regard to the elimination of unlawful racial discrimination, the promotion of equal opportunities and good relations between people from different racial groups.
	The identity cards scheme itself is non-discriminatory as it is intended to cover everyone in the United Kingdom for longer than a specified period (three months). The scheme will not, in general, require people to obtain a specific, additional document, as it will be designed to make use of existing documents that will be designated as identity cards. Most members of the identity cards "family" are likely to be enhanced versions of existing identity documents which are very widely held familiar documents that are already used as proof of identity.
	The draft Bill makes no changes to police powers and there is a specific prohibition on introducing regulations which would require a card to be carried at all times. The police generally have no powers to require a person to provide them with information about their identity. Police already have the power to stop and search members of the public under a number of pieces of legislation. Following on from the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report the Home Office has already carried out a programme of research on stops and searches which identified a number of requirements to improve legitimacy in stop and search.
	The education and training of police and public service administrators will be an important part of the implementation and development of the scheme.
	The draft Bill specifies the information which may be recorded on the National Identity Register. It does not allow for the recording of ethnicity. The register will hold individuals' confirmed identity information securely and an audit of checks made of the register whether via an ID card or otherwise will be held on the database to comply with the Data Protection Act. Disclosure of the details of a person's entry on the register and audit log records will not be possible without his or her consent other than as authorised under specific provisions in the draft Bill. There will be strict controls and independent oversight of these arrangements. The draft Bill also provides for oversight of the practical operation of the procedures for disclosing personal information from the National Identity Register.

Immigration

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the requirements for police registration in the Immigration Rules continue to apply to Taiwanese nationals.

Des Browne: No. As my predecessor, my right hon. friend, the Member for Stretford and Urmston (Beverley Hughes) explained in her reply to my hon. friend, the member for Crosby (Mrs. Curtis-Thomas) of 4 February 2004, Official Report, column 982W, the police registration arrangements are a matter which is kept under review. Having reviewed this matter I have decided that the holders of passports issued by the Taiwanese authorities should no longer be routinely required to register with the police.

National Offender Management Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how disputes between recognised trade unions and the National Offender Management Service will be resolved.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 21 June 2004
	Trade Unions will continue to negotiate and seek resolution to any dispute by pursuing the matter with the Employing body. In the case of Prison Officers represented by the POA this would be the Prison Service, with existing procedures remaining in place. The unions recognised by the National Probation Service (Napo, UNISON and GMB-Scoop) would continue, as under existing procedures, to register a dispute with an individual Probation Board. A dispute which could not be resolved at the local level would be referred to the National Negotiating Council (NNC) and if the dispute could not be resolved within the NNC it might be referred to a third party (such as ACAS) for conciliation or arbitration.
	While there are no immediate plans to change the existing procedures, we would, of course, consult on any future proposals to change them.

Police

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers, (b) community support officers and (c) administrative support staff for police operations there are in (i) Leyton and Wanstead, (ii) the London borough of Redbridge and (iii) the London borough of Waltham Forest; what the figures were in 1997; what the crime clear-up rate (A) is now and (B) was in 1997; what the level of spending on policing and community safety in each area (1) is now and (2) was in 1997; and what the change in spending has been in real terms.

Hazel Blears: Information on police officers, police staff and community support officers has been supplied by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis and is set out in the table. Community support officer numbers are those for 31 March 2004.
	
		
			  31 March 2001 31 March 2004 
		
		
			 London borough of Redbridge 
			 Police officers 371.8 437.9 
			 Police Staff(6) 106.8 81.4 
			 PCSO Not applicable 21 
			
			 London Borough of Waltham Forest 
			 Police officers 439.9 530.5 
			 Police Staff(6) 115.3 95.7 
			 PCSO Not applicable 18 
		
	
	(6) Police staff figures for 2001 include staff in control rooms. These staff are now counted centrally as part of the MPS C3i communications system.
	All figures are full-time equivalents.
	I am told by the Commissioner that the current London Borough Operational Unit structure was only introduced in 2000 after the boundary changes with Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey force areas. It is not therefore possible to provide earlier police strength data at borough level.
	The budgets set by the Commissioner for Redbridge and Waltham Forest are as follows:
	
		
			  Budget set by Commissioner 
		
		
			 London Borough of Redbridge 
			 2003–04 (£ million) 19.77 
			 2004–05 (£ million) 22.47 
			 Increase (Percentage) 13.6 
			   
			 London Borough of Waltham Forest 
			 2003–04 (£ million) 23.81 
			 2004–05 (£ million) 26.49 
			 Increase (Percentage) 11.3 
		
	
	London borough policing is also supported by police services funded centrally by the Metropolitan police, such as the Territorial Support Group and other specialist units. It is not possible to provide earlier budget data at borough level.
	Information on detection rates is available for five key categories of crime for each basic command unit (BCU)—in London BCUs equate to London boroughs—are available for 2001–02 and 2002–03. It can be found on the Home Office website, www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0203.html. The Metropolitan police service (MPS) adopted the National Crime Recording Standard in 2002 and this would affect the comparison of detection rates with earlier years.
	
		Percentage
		
			  Detection rate 
			  2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 London Borough of Redbridge 
			 Violence against the person 21 19 
			 Robbery 8 11 
			 Burglary 6 8 
			 Theft of a vehicle 7 6 
			 Theft from a vehicle 1.5 1.4 
			
			 London Borough of Waltham Forest 
			 Violence against the Person 27 28 
			 Robbery 9 10 
			 Burglary 8 10 
			 Theft of a vehicle 9 8 
			 Theft from a vehicle 2.1 1 .5

Police

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in the Humberside force were disciplined on charges of (a) assault and (b) false imprisonment in the last year for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: Figures are kept for every year. Humberside police have advised that there were no officers disciplined on charges of assault or false imprisonment for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004.

Prison Volunteers

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours of voluntary service have been carried out by prisoners working on day release in the community in the last year.

Paul Goggins: The Prison Service in England and Wales does not maintain a central record of number of hours of unpaid community work undertaken by prisoners released on temporary licence for this purpose. However, at any one time, about 950 prisoners participate in resettlement regimes that provide the opportunity for regular release on temporary licence in order to undertake unpaid community work.
	Prisons in Scotland and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Scottish Executive and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland respectively.

Racism

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of (a) the response of Metropolitan police officers to the race training that they have been offered and (b) the effects of the training on perceptions of institutional racism in the force.

Hazel Blears: The Metropolitan police service published an assessment of its own diversity training in December 2003. The Home Office also commissioned two independent studies to assess the impact of community and race relations training on the police service as a whole. They will be published shortly. One of these studies focused on the effect that community and race relations training has had on increasing the trust and confidence in policing among minority ethnic communities. A strategy is currently being developed to build on the investment already made in community and race relations training in the police service. This will help provide a framework to ensure that race and diversity learning and development delivers improved performance in this area.

Whistleblowers' Hotline

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civil servants have contacted his Department's Whistleblowers' hotline since its inception.

Fiona Mactaggart: There have been eight calls to the telephone hotline set up specifically for staff in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND). There has also been one call to the general hotline serving the non-agency Home Office since both were announced to staff on 30 March 2004.

DEFENCE

Agusta Westland

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the consequences for his defence industrial policy of the proposed acquisition by Finmeccanica of the GKN holding in Agusta Westland.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Industrial Policy makes clear that the United Kingdom defence industry embraces all defence suppliers that create value, employment, technology or intellectual assets in the UK. This includes both UK and foreign-owned companies; we welcome inward investment into the UK. We remain committed to implementing the Policy and delivering its objectives.

Boards of Inquiry

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what amendments have been made in the last two years to the rules governing boards of inquiry in HM Armed Forces.

Adam Ingram: No amendments have been made to either the Board of Inquiry (Air Force) Rules 1956 or Board of Inquiry (Army) Rules 1956 in the last two years. There are no statutory Rules for the Royal Navy. Queen's Regulations for each of the Services contain rules for BOIs. In the last two years these have been amended as follows.
	Army—February 2004: to allow (as in the other two Services) more readily for the concurrent running of Army Boards of Inquiry and police investigations, where this would not affect the proper conduct of the police investigation, and generally clarifying some of the factors relevant to whether a Board of Inquiry should be held.
	RAF—February 2003: minor clarification of existing rules.
	RN—No changes have been made in the last two years.

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the hon. Member for West Worcestershire will receive a response to his letter of 18 May (Ref: 02493/2004).

Adam Ingram: I wrote to the hon. Member on 6 July.

Defence Export and Market Access Forum

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how the Defence Export and Market Access Forum relates to (a) the National Defence Industries Council, (b) the National Defence and Aerospace Systems Panel and (c) the Aerospace and Innovation Team; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to his answer of 30 June 2004, ref 179257, on the Defence Export and Market Access Forum; if he will list the individuals and the companies or trade associations they represent on the Defence Export and Market Access Forum; how many times it has met; and what the subject areas under discussion were.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Export and Market Access Forum reports to the National Defence Industries Council and complements the National Defence and Aerospace Systems Panel and the Aerospace and Innovation Team. The following Government Departments are represented on the Forum:
	Ministry of Defence;
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office;
	Department of Trade and Industry;
	Cabinet Office; and
	HM Treasury.
	Industry is represented by the following Trade Associations, which include representatives from their member companies:
	The Society of British Aerospace Companies;
	Defence Manufacturers Association;
	Society of Maritime Industries; and
	Intellect.
	The major defence companies represented at the last meeting, which was held on 17 February 2004, were BAE Systems, Cobham, GKN, Rolls-Royce and Smiths. I am withholding the personal details of the individuals concerned under Exemptions 8 and 12 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information which relate to public employment, public appointments and the privacy of an individual.
	There have been three meetings to date and the issues discussed have included defence trade with other countries, export control legislation, market analysis and the contribution of defence exports to the economy.

Departmental Staff

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many full-time equivalent staff there have been in (a) his Department and (b) agencies of the Department in each year since 1997.

Ivor Caplin: Information on the number of full-time equivalent staff in the department since 1997 is published annually in the "Civil Service Statistics" publication. Copies of the publication are available in the Library and on the Cabinet Office Civil Service Statistics (www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics ) website.

Diego Garcia

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK military personnel are stationed on Diego Garcia in a (a) temporary and (b) permanent capacity; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: 40 UK military personnel are deployed on Diego Garcia and normally undertake 12-month tours.

Intermediate Light Anti-Armour Weapon

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress in introducing the Army's Intermediate Light Anti-Armour Weapon.

Adam Ingram: The Interim Light Anti-Armour Weapon (ILAW) is being procured to provide a light, short-range anti-armour capability in advance of the introduction of the Next Generation Light Anti-Armour Weapon (NLAW). Following a competitive down select, the Saab Bofors Dynamics AT4 anti-armour system has been chosen to meet the ILAW requirement. In parallel, the NLAW programme remains on track to meet the long-term requirement.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list each allegation of malpractice in the management of detainees in Iraq made against British forces since 1 May 2003, broken down by date of the allegation; and if he will place in the Library copies of the allegations with personal data removed.

Adam Ingram: There have been no allegations of malpractice in the administration of detainees in UK run detention facilities in Iraq. However there has been one allegation of ill treatment of detainees while in the UK run detention facility, the exact nature and date of which is still under investigation. Therefore there are no plans to place the information referred to by the hon. Member in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 8 June 2004, Official Report, columns 4–5WS, on Iraq, whether any of the 14 investigations initiated since 4 May relate to detention facilities.

Adam Ingram: One of the 14 investigations initiated since 4 May relates to the Divisional Temporary Detention Facility at Shaibah.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with security contractors his Department uses for operations in Iraq about them (a) being subject to Iraqi law and (b) being recipients of immunities following the transfer of sovereignty; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence does not use security contractors for operations in Iraq. I have not, therefore, had discussions with them on these topics.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the date of each compensation claim arising out of the death of an Iraqi individual allegedly caused by UK forces and whether, in each case, the claim (a) has been rejected, (b) has been accepted and (c) remains to be decided.

Adam Ingram: We have so far received 91 claims relating to incidents where it is alleged that the death of an Iraqi individual was caused by the actions of the UK Armed Forces. The date of notification of each compensation claim is as follows:
	2003
	June: 1, 22, 28, 30 (2 claims)
	July: 3, 10, 14 (2 claims), 15 (2 claims), 22, 29
	August: 19,23 (7 claims), 29
	September: 5, 8 (2 claims), 14, 15, 16, 18 (2 claims), 20
	October: 8, 9, 31 (6 claims)
	November: 3 (2 claims), 4 (3 claims), 5 (2 claims), 7 (2 claims), 8, 10, 17
	December: 1, 2 (2 claims), 12 (2 claims), 15, 17 (2 claims), 18, 31
	2004
	January: 2, 6, 10, 17 (2 claims), 20, 21 (2 claims), 22, 24,25, 26, 30, 31 (2 claims)
	February: 8 (3 claims), 10, 17, 18 (2 claims), 24, 25
	March: 10, 24 (3 claims)
	April: 3, 27
	Thirty-three claims relate to alleged incidents before the end of decisive combat operations (1 May 2003) including 19 claims associated with air raids. 58 claims arise from alleged incidents after 1 May 2003.
	Over half of the total number of claims (52) relate to fatal shooting incidents with some incidents leading to multiple claims. Other incidents include fatalities due to road traffic accidents and unexploded ordnance. Four claims relate to deaths in detention.
	Fifty-four claims have been rejected, three accepted and 34 remain to be decided.

Iraq

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Status of Forces Agreement being negotiated for troops in Iraq will parallel the Visiting Forces Act 1952 in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Iraqi Government has approved a new version of Coalition Provisional Authority Order 17 to cover Status of Forces issues for Multinational Forces in Iraq. The order's provisions are similar to the provisions of the status offerees arrangements for the multinational forces deployed in Afghanistan and the Balkans, which are closer parallels than the NATO arrangements implemented by the Visiting Forces Act of 1952. A copy of the order can be found at www.cpa-Iraq.org. I am arranging to have a copy placed in the Library of the House.

NATO Commitments

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current commitments of NATO forces are; and if he will make a statement on plans for future commitments.

Adam Ingram: NATO currently commits forces to the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan; SFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina; KFOR in Kosovo; Operation Active Endeavour in the Mediterranean; and in support of Poland's operation in Iraq. In accordance with the Istanbul Summit Communiqué issued by the Heads of State and Government on 28 June 2004, NATO has decided to expand the ISAF Force in Afghanistan, including through several more Provincial Reconstruction Teams; to conclude its successful SFOR operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina; that a robust KFOR presence remains essential in Kosovo; to enhance the contribution of Operation Active Endeavour to the fight against terrorism; and to offer assistance to the Government of Iraq with the training of its security forces.

Nuclear Weapons

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the tritium recovery plant at AWE Aldermaston will provide tritium for United Kingdom nuclear weapons following the decision to close Calder Hall.

Adam Ingram: The closure of BNFL's Magnox power station at Calder Hall in Cumbria has no impact on the UK nuclear warhead programme. We have sufficient stocks of tritium to meet all of the foreseeable needs of the UK nuclear weapons programme. This position is kept under review.

Prisons

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints have been made by (a) men and (b) women held in British-run military and civilian prisons in Iraq as to their treatment while in prison during the last 12 months; how many of these complaints have been heard; how many remain to be heard; how many of these complaints he has seen; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: There is one case under investigation by the Royal Military Police Special Investigations Branch into the treatment of Iraqi civilians held in the British run Divisional Temporary Detention Facility. No women are involved. There are no British run civilian prisons in Iraq.

RAF Cottesmore

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel from Forward Support Fixed Wing (Repair Support Squadron) have been permanently posted into RAF Cottesmore to undertake repair tasks now being carried out on Harriers; and what estimate he has made of the cost incurred.

Adam Ingram: No personnel from the Forward Support Fixed Wing Detachment have been permanently posted to RAF Cottesmore and no additional costs have been incurred. However, at any one time there will be a number of personnel from this Detachment engaged in the repair and maintenance of Harrier aircraft at Cottesmore.

RAF Cottesmore

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the targets were for turn round times set for aircraft repair at RAF Cottesmore for the financial year 2003–04.

Adam Ingram: There are no targets set for repair turn round times at RAF Cottesmore. Repair times are agreed on an individual basis according to the extent of the damage and operational requirements. However, within the pulse line any repairs must be assessed, a solution obtained or designed and the repair implemented within an allocated 25-day window. The repair window has been achieved consistently since the formation of the pulse line.
	Targets are set for the turn round time of aircraft undergoing scheduled maintenance.

RAF Cottesmore

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the turn round times were for aircraft repair at RAF Cottesmore in the financial year 2003–04.

Adam Ingram: To collect the information necessary to give an accurate assessment of the turn round times would involve manually checking the records of every individual aircraft. This work would be very time consuming and at disproportionate cost.
	However, within the pulse line any repairs must be assessed, a solution obtained or designed and the repair implemented within an allocated 25-day window. This repair window has been achieved consistently since the formation of the pulse line.

Royal Navy Chefs

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many vacancies there are for chefs in the Royal Navy.

Ivor Caplin: There are 901 chef posts in the Royal Navy at Able Rate and Leading Chef level and during the first quarter of 2004, a net figure of 39 vacancies was recorded.

Trident

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which countries the (a) arming, fusing and firing system components, (b) neutron generators and (c) gas reservoirs of Trident nuclear warheads are manufactured; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I am withholding the information requested under Exemption 1 (defence, security and international relations) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Trident

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which country the gas reservoirs for Trident nuclear warheads are filled with tritium; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I am withholding the information requested under Exemption 1 (defence, security and international relations) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Troop Deployments (Afghanistan)

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops are deployed in Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: There are around 580 British troops currently deployed in Afghanistan.

Troop Deployments (Afghanistan)

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many additional British troops will be deployed to Afghanistan to extend the use of provincial reconstruction teams;
	(2)  how many British troops are to be deployed in Afghanistan to (a) provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) and (b) the forward base support for PRTs.

Adam Ingram: As part of our commitment to the expansion of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) across Northern Afghanistan, the United Kingdom deployed an additional 40 personnel to the UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in Mazar-e Sharif and Meymaneh, which brought the total number of British troops serving in these Teams to around 130. A Forward Support Base was also established in Mazar to support the PRTs in Northern Afghanistan, requiring the deployment of around a further 130 British troops. As part of our long-term commitment to the sustained expansion of ISAF across Afghanistan, the Prime Minister has also offered to deploy the HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) to command the Force probably in 2006.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Postal Voting (Coventry, South)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people are registered for a permanent postal vote in Coventry, South.

Christopher Leslie: The Electoral Registration Officer for Coventry City Council has advised that as at June 2004 there were 7,146 registered permanent postal voters in Coventry South constituency.

Salisbury Convention

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what consideration he has given to the Salisbury Convention as part of the review of the powers and functions of the second chamber.

Christopher Leslie: The Salisbury convention, which sets out the circumstances in which the House of Lords will refrain from using its powers over legislation, is clearly an extremely important element in the relationship between the two Houses. As such, it will play a central part in any consideration of the powers and functions of the second chamber.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Agency Staffing

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the staff-customer ratio is for those contacting or receiving services from (a) the Pension Service and (b) Jobcentre Plus, broken down by (i) all staff, (ii) staff dealing with customers face-to-face, (iii) call centre staff and (iv) staff processing claims without customer contact.

Maria Eagle: The information is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Benefit Claimants (Suffolk)

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed (a) incapacity benefit and (b) jobseeker's allowance in (i) the West Suffolk parliamentary constituency and (ii) the county of Suffolk in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
	
		Claimants in Suffolk at dates shown
		
			  County of Suffolk West Suffolk parliamentary constituency 
		
		
			 Incapacity benefits(7) 
			 February 1997 18,200 2,000 
			 February 1998 19,200 1,900 
			 February 1999 18,800 1,900 
			 February 2000 19,200 2,100 
			 February 2001 19,600 1,900 
			 February 2002 19,500 1,900 
			 February 2003 19,700 2,300 
			 February 2004 20,100 2,200 
			
			 Unemployment-related benefits(8) 
			 May 1997 14,328 1,553 
			 May 1998 11,558 1,282 
			 May 1999 10,645 1,091 
			 May 2000 8,823 849 
			 May 2001 7,673 680 
			 May 2002 7,363 680 
			 May 2003 8,117 693 
			 May 2004 7,624 666 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Those numbers based on a 5 per cent. sample are subject to a degree of sampling variation and have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
	(7) Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	(8) Local authorities (LAs) are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory.
	(9) County of Suffolk is made up of the following LAs: Babergh, Forest Heath, Ipswich, Mid Suffolk, St. Edmundsbury, Suffolk Coastal and Waveney.
	(10) Incapacity benefits include incapacity benefit (IB), severe disablement allowance, and IB credits only cases. Unemployment-related benefits include all Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) claims and JSA credit only cases.
	Source:
	(11) DWP Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample
	(12) 100 per cent. Count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems

Benefit Payments

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the arrangements will be for the payment of benefits through automated credit transfer when the payment date falls on a bank holiday, including Scottish bank holidays.

Chris Pond: The Department ensures that where customers are due payments on a national bank holiday, Direct Payments are advanced, so that they can get the money before the bank holiday. These arrangements include national bank holidays in Scotland.

Benefit Payments

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the estimated percentage take up of (a) council tax benefits, (b) housing benefit, (c) income support and (d) jobseeker's allowance was in each year since 1995.

Chris Pond: The information is in the table.
	
		Estimated take-up of income-related benefits, 1995–96 to 2001–02 -- Percentage
		
			  Income support Minimum income guarantee Housing benefit Council tax benefit Jobseeker's allowance 
		
		
			 1995–96  
			 Case load 76:82 n/a 89:94 74:82 n/a 
			 Expenditure 88:92 n/a 93:96 76:84 n/a 
			   
			 1996–97  
			 Case load 78:85 n/a 91:99 77:86 69:87 
			 Expenditure 87:95 n/a 92:100 79:88 69:79 
			   
			 1997–98  
			 Case load 74:84 n/a 94:100 77:86 78:92 
			 Expenditure 85:94 n/a 94:100 79:88 78:88 
			   
			 1998–99  
			 Case load 79:89 n/a 91:97 75:81 68:82 
			 Expenditure 88:95 n/a 89:95 77:84 75:88 
			   
			 1999–2000  
			 Case load 77:87 64:78 94:98 73:80 67:78 
			 Expenditure 87:94 74:86 92:97 76:83 74:84 
			 2000–01  
			 Case load 86:96 68:76 87:94 70:76 62:71 
			 Expenditure 91:97 78:86 91:96 73:80 69:78 
			   
			 2001–02  
			 Case load 86:95 63:72 85:91 66:72 51:62 
			 Expenditure 91:98 73:83 89:94 70:76 58:73 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Take-up by case load compares the number of benefit recipients, averaged over the year, with the number who would be receiving if everyone took up their entitlement for the full period of their entitlement.
	2. Take-up by expenditure compares the total amount of benefit received, averaged over the year, with the total amount that would be received if everyone took up their entitlement for the full period of their entitlement.
	3. Figures are not directly comparable over time as estimates are not recast in light of methodological improvements and changes to benefit rules alter the size of the eligible population.
	4. Estimates for income support cover pensioners and non-pensioners up to and including figures for 1999–2000. Estimates for 2000–01 and onwards relate to non-pensioners only. Minimum income guarantee relates to pensioners only and came into effect in 1999–2000.
	Source:
	DWP "Income-Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up" series.

Benefit Payments

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average response time for applications for (a) council tax benefit and (b) housing benefit is in Scotland, broken down by local authority.

Chris Pond: Around 30 per cent. of local authorities in Scotland are processing new claims at, or above, the national standard of 36 days. To help all authorities meet these standards the Government has provided £200 million over three years. So far £60 million has been awarded to nearly 300 local authorities and the average time taken to process a new claim for housing benefit has improved by 10 per cent. compared to 2002–03.
	The information is not available in the format requested, the available information is in the table.
	
		Average processing times for housing benefit and council tax benefit claims in Scotland by local authority
		
			 Local authority Average days to process a claim for housing benefit Average days to process a claim for council tax benefit 
		
		
			 Aberdeen 32 34 
			 Aberdeenshire 49 61 
			 Angus 56 53 
			 Argyll and Bute 55 43 
			 Clackmannanshire 36 40 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 38 48 
			 Dundee 88 90 
			 East Ayrshire 30 29 
			 East Dunbartonshire 64 65 
			 East Lothian 37 34 
			 East Renfrewshire 43 35 
			 Edinburgh 86 82 
			 Falkirk 24 24 
			 Fife 37 39 
			 Glasgow 26 29 
			 Highland 55 53 
			 Inverclyde 69 82 
			 Midlothian 33 32 
			 Moray 60 60 
			 North Ayrshire 79 97 
			 North Lanarkshire 16 16 
			 Orkney 32 35 
			 Perth and Kinross 77 85 
			 Renfrewshire 92 115 
			 Shetland 34 34 
			 South Ayrshire 54 59 
			 South Lanarkshire 16 15 
			 Stirling 21 26 
			 West Dunbartonshire 46 49 
			 West Lothian 34 34 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures given are for the last quarter of the financial year 2003–04.
	2. Scottish Borders and the Western Isles did not supply data for this quarter.
	3. Data is not collected on the average initial response times for housing benefit and council tax benefit claims.
	4. Average days to process is calculated using the elapsed time counted in calendar days from (and including) the day on which a new claim form for housing benefit or council tax benefit is received at any designated office of a local authority to (and including) the day on which that claim is decided.

Benefit Payments

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimates he has made of (a) the number of incorrect benefit payments into post office card accounts, and (b) failure to pay benefits into post office card accounts; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: Over 10 million DWP benefit payments have been credited to post office card accounts since April 2003. As a result of customer error or inputting error, it is estimated that approximately 4,000 payments have been issued with incorrect account details.
	All benefit payments issued with valid post office card account details, for direct payment into a card account are credited correctly by the card account bank to the nominated account.

Council Tax Benefit

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of housing benefit recipients are also in receipt of council tax benefit.

Chris Pond: 89.9 per cent. of housing benefit recipients were also in receipt of council tax benefit in Great Britain at May 2002, the most recent period for which figures are available.
	Notes:
	1. The figure is based on a 1 per cent. sample and therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	2. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
	3. The percentage is rounded to one decimal place.
	4. Council tax benefit data exclude any second adult rebate cases.
	5. Housing benefit data excludes extended payment cases.
	Source:
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2002.

Disability Discrimination Act

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 on (a) employment levels of disabled people in the UK and (b) the perception of disability by employers.

Maria Eagle: The Government has not made a specific assessment of the impact of the Disability Discrimination Act on the employment of levels of disabled people in the UK or on the perception of disability by employers. Both will have been influenced by a range of factors. However it is not possible to ascertain to what extent change is due solely to the DDA, against other factors such as shifts in social attitudes, and greater awareness and reporting of disability.
	Comparable figures are not available before 1998, however there has been a narrowing of the gap between the employment levels of disabled people and non-disabled people under this Government. Employment levels for disabled people have risen from 46.0 per cent. in winter 1998 (Labour Force Survey, winter quarter 1998) to 49.3 per cent. in winter 2003 (Labour Force Survey, winter quarter 2003). Over the same period the employment levels for non-disabled people rose from 79.8 per cent. to 80.8 per cent.
	Recent research on employers' responses to the DDA showed that both the legislation and the moral and business cases for making adjustments have influenced employers. The research found that 83 per cent. of employers that had ever employed a disabled person had made adjustments for disabled employees. Overall, 35 per cent. of employers that had made adjustments for disabled employees reported they had done so partly because of the legal requirement, but they more often cited the moral and business cases for making adjustments.

Disability Discrimination Act

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with disabilities have been helped to enter employment through the New Deal for Disabled People in the last 12 months.

Jane Kennedy: The latest figures available are for April 2003 to March 2004, during which period 20,400 jobs were gained by participants in the New Deal for Disabled People programme.

Disabled People (Services)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements he has in place for monitoring statistics concerning the (a) (i) numbers and (ii) needs of and (b) supply of services to disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Department currently estimates that there are around 10 million adults in Great Britain who are covered by the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) (source, FRS 2002–3). This estimate will be reviewed on an annual basis. We also use a range of other estimates of the number of disabled people , including the number of disabled people receiving disability benefits. We have recently commissioned an independent review of disability estimates available at: www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/ih2003–2004/IH128.pdf
	The Department uses statistics from several sources, including the Labour Force Survey and Family Resources Survey, which provide information on disabled people's needs in relation to employment, benefits and income. We also conduct a range of social research projects which examine the needs of disabled people.
	The Department conducts regular surveys on the use of a range of services by disabled people in Great Britain. We also collect data on receipt of benefits, employment programmes and our own services.
	The Disability Rights Commission also commissions research. It commissioned a survey of disabled people's experiences of access to services in Great Britain in summer 2003 as part of work to inform and support its campaign, aimed to raise awareness of new duties on service providers regarding physical access for disabled people under Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995.

Girocheque Payments

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of girocheque payments were delayed or lost between 31 March 2002 and 1 April 2003; and how many of these late payments resulted in emergency payments to claimants, broken down by region.

Chris Pond: Information is not available in the format requested.
	The following table shows the information, which is available on Girocheques between 1 April 2002 and 31 March 2003.
	
		1 April 2002 and 31 March 2003
		
			  
		
		
			 Girocheques issued 43,570,325 
			 Girocheques reported not received, lost, stolen or destroyed 288,999 
			 Number of Girocheques reported not received, lost, stolen or missing as a percentage of Girocheques issued 0.66 
		
	
	Customers who suffer hardship as a result of delayed or lost girocheques can apply for a payment from the Social Fund. We do not keep specific data on the number of customers who apply to the Social Fund for this reason.

Honours

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much time his Department spent dealing with honours in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by Civil Service grade.

Maria Eagle: The estimated time spent dealing with Honours in the Department from April 2003 to March 2004, broken down by Civil Service grade is shown in the table.
	The majority of the work on Honours is undertaken by the Departmental Honours team and senior staff involved in selection and sift panels. Time spent in preparation for selection and sift panels is not included. Information is not available on time spent on Honours related work by other staff in the Department and its Agencies.
	
		
			 Grade Time/hours 
		
		
			 Permanent Secretary and equivalent grades 26 
			 Grade 2 14 
			 Grade 3 18 
			 Grade 4 6 
			 Grade 5 8 
			 HEO 32 
			 EO x 1 (DWP Honours Secretary) Full time

Housing Benefit (Swale)

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what plans he has to put the administration of housing benefit in Swale out to tender;
	(2)  what plans he has to improve the administration of housing benefit at Swale Borough Council.

Chris Pond: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate is currently carrying out an inspection of benefit administration and counter-fraud activity in Swale Borough Council, with a report expected to be published in October 2004.
	Once the authority has had the opportunity to respond to the report, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will consider what further action needs to be taken.

Invalid Care Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households there are where more than one person claims invalid care allowance.

Maria Eagle: Invalid Care Allowance was renamed Carer's Allowance from April 2003. The information requested is not available.

National Insurance Rebates

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 26 May to the right hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts), Official Report, columns 1717–18W, on National Insurance, if he will estimate the distribution of national insurance rebates by (a) income decile or income quartile, (b) region and (c) country.

Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is not available.

Parliamentary Questions

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) ordinary written and (b) named day questions his Department received in (i) the 2002–03 session and (ii) this session.

Angela Eagle: The information is in the table.
	
		Parliamentary question received
		
			  Ordinary written questions Named day questions 
		
		
			 13 November 2002 to November 2003 2,568 570 
			 26 November 2003 to July 2004 1,730 444

Pension Credit

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of pension credit recipients in each region receive (a) the severe disability premium and (b) the carer's premium.

Malcolm Wicks: The information, to the most recent date for which it is available, is set out in the following table.
	
		Percentage of pension credit recipients also receiving severe disability or carer's prescribed additional amount, by region, February 2004 -- percentage
		
			 Government office region Severe disability additional amount as percentage of all pension credit recipients (households) Carer's additional amount as percentage of all pension credit recipients (households) 
		
		
			 Great Britain 22 4 
			 North East 22 5 
			 North West 26 5 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 20 4 
			 East Midlands 21 4 
			 West Midlands 23 5 
			 East of England 22 4 
			 London 18 3 
			 South East 16 3 
			 South West 21 4 
			 Wales 29 5 
			 Scotland 27 4 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Percentages are given to the nearest whole number.
	2. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to sampling variation.

Pension Provision

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of individuals who are contributing to pension provision in (a) funded occupational pensions, (b) personal pensions and (c) unfunded occupational pensions.

Malcolm Wicks: In 2000 there were some 10 million active members of occupational pension schemes in the UK, 5.7 million in private sector schemes and 4.5 million in public sector schemes including some 1.5 million in the funded local Government pension schemes.
	In 2001–02 there were some 5 million people making some contribution, individual or employer or both, to a personal or stakeholder pension. Some of these may also have been active members of an occupational pension scheme. In addition, around 0.5 million people were contributing to retirement annuity contracts.
	Notes
	1. Estimates of active members of private and public occupational pension schemes are taken from the Occupational Pension Scheme Survey 2000 conducted by the Government Actuary's Department (GAD).
	2. The number of public sector members in funded local government pension schemes is an unpublished Government estimate.
	3. An "active" member of an occupational pension scheme is someone who is at present accruing benefits under that scheme in respect of current service, through individual or employer contributions, or both. It is possible for an individual to be an active member of more than one occupational pension scheme.
	4. Estimates of the numbers of people contributing to personal and stakeholder pensions or retirement annuity contracts are based on Inland Revenue administrative data.

Savings Credits

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answers to the hon. Members for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) and for Northavon (Mr. Webb), 22 June 2004, Official Report, columns 1308–11W, if he will set out the contribution to net costs from the abolition of savings credits for those years on the assumptions given.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the following table.
	
		£ billion
		
			  Saving from SC abolition for those aged 80 or over Saving from SC abolition for those aged 70 or above Saving from SC abolition for those aged 75 or above 
		
		
			 2006–07 0.4 0.7 0.6 
			 2007–08 0.5 0.8 0.6 
			 2008–09 0.5 0.8 0.7 
			 2009–10 0.5 0.9 0.7 
			 2010–11 0.6 1.0 0.8 
			 2011–12 0.6 1.0 0.9 
			 2012–13 0.7 1.1 0.9 
			 2013–14 0.7 1.2 1.0 
			 2014–15 0.8 1.3 1.1 
			 2015–16 0.8 1.4 1.1 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are for Great Britain in 2004–05 price terms, using the GDP deflator index, rounded to the nearest £100 million.
	2. The savings credit is abolished for those above each age specified in each question from April 2006 with no payments to existing pensioners and no new recipients after 2006. The savings from savings credit are calculated using the Department's policy simulation model for 2006–07.
	3. In modelling these options it is assumed that the proportion of savings relative to gross state pension costs in the first year is constant in subsequent years; therefore these figures should not be treated as forecasts of savings credit expenditure for different age groups.
	4. The savings given reflect the changes to savings credit expenditure and do not include the effects of other benefits which may be affected by the abolition of the savings credit.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Indian Ocean Territories

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what provision he has put in place to monitor activity on Diego Garcia to ensure full implementation of the Ottawa Convention; how many breaches have been reported since 1 January 2001; what mechanisms are in place to deal with possible breaches and when these arrangements were last revised; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The Government have made clear to the US authorities that the UK would be unable to allow the US to bring anti-personnel landmines onto Diego Garcia because that would place the UK in breach of its obligations under the Ottawa Convention. In response, the Government have received assurances from US officials that no anti-personnel landmines are stored on Diego Garcia and that the US will continue to respect the UK's international treaty obligations. There have been no reported breaches since the UK became a State Party to the Ottawa Convention on 1 March 1999.

British Indian Ocean Territories

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the European Convention of Human Rights applies to the British Indian Ocean Territories; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The European Convention on Human Rights does not apply to the British Indian Ocean Territory. The Territory has no settled population and there are no plans to extend the Convention to the Territory.

Bulgaria

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether BAe Systems has been asked to co-operate with an investigation by the Military Appeal Investigation Court in Bulgaria into the tender procedure for refurbishment of helicopters.

Denis MacShane: The British embassy in Sofia has not been contacted by the Military Appeal Investigation Court about such an investigation. The embassy has been in contact with BAe Systems, who have told us that they have not been contacted either.

China

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government are taking to urge the Chinese authorities to release all aid workers who have been imprisoned for helping North Korean refugees hiding in China, with particular reference to Takayuki Noguchi.

Bill Rammell: We are concerned by reports of individuals being imprisoned by the Chinese authorities for helping North Korean refugees. In the case of Takayuki Noguchi, Japanese officials have requested his swift return to Japan. It is likely that he will be released in August at the end of his sentence.
	We regularly raise the issue of North Korean refugees with the Chinese, including at the biannual UK/China Human Rights Dialogue, the latest round of which was held on 13 and 14 May. I also raised the issue in my meeting with Zhang Zhijin, the Deputy Director of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party, in March.
	We continue to urge China to observe its obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention. The Chinese Government maintain that North Koreans who enter China illegally are economic migrants and not refugees. A long-standing bilateral agreement with North Korea enables China to repatriate these border crossers.

China

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will urge the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to use the arbitration clause in its bilateral treaty with China as a means of pressing the Chinese authorities to permit the UNHCR full access to North Korean refugees in China.

Bill Rammell: The UK believes that China should treat refugees in accordance with the 1951 Convention on the status of refugees to which it is a contracting state. We continue to urge China to allow the UNHCR access to the border areas and to observe its obligations under the 1967 Additional Protocol to the 1951 Refugee Convention.
	We fully support the UNHCR's efforts on behalf of North Korean refugees in China and we regularly raise this issue with the Chinese during our biannual human rights dialogue, the latest round of which was held on 13/14 May. The Bilateral agreement between China and the UNHCR was signed on the establishment of a UNHCR country office and UNHCR consider that it is not intended as a mechanism to discuss asylum issues.

China

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government are taking to urge the Government of China (a) to recognise North Korean refugees in China as refugees and (b) to end the policy of forcibly repatriating these North Koreans.

Bill Rammell: We regularly raise the issue of North Korean border crossers with the Chinese including at the latest round of the biannual UK/China Human Rights Dialogue on 13/14 May 2004. I raised the issue of North Korean border crossers in my meeting with Zhang Zhijin, the Deputy Director of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party in March.
	We are concerned by reports of the forced repatriation of North Koreans by China and have urged China to fully implement the provisions of the 1951 Convention on Refugees, and co-operate closely with the UNHCR to help resolve disagreement over the status of North Korean border-crossers.
	The Chinese Government maintains that North Koreans who enter China illegally are economic migrants and not refugees. A long-standing bilateral agreement with North Korea enables China to repatriate these border crossers.

Cyprus

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 7 June 2004, Official Report, column 55W, on Cyprus, for what reason the status of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus London Representative Office will not be upgraded.

Denis MacShane: The UK's policy of not formally recognising the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" has not changed.

Cyprus

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2004, Official Report, column 55W, on Cyprus, what steps the Government have taken within the European Union to promote the amendment of legislation restricting trade and communications with Northern Cyprus.

Denis MacShane: Following discussion amongst EU Foreign Ministers at the 26 April General Affairs and External Relations Council, the Council agreed to "put an end to the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community and to facilitate the reunification of Cyprus by encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community". The UK gave its full support to this language, which provides the basis for the EU's on-going efforts to open up trade and communications with the north of Cyprus. The Commission was invited to bring forward comprehensive proposals to this end.
	On 28 April the EU agreed a new regulation on trade across the Green Line aimed at encouraging trade between the two communities in Cyprus. The UK is continuing to work closely with the Commission as it formulates its proposals on trade with the north and works to ensure effective implementation on the ground of the provisions of the Green Line Regulation.

Cyprus

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 7 June, Official Report, column 56W, on Northern Cyprus, for what reason HM Government will not take steps to promote the repeal of UN Security Council Resolution 541.

Denis MacShane: UN Security Council Resolution 541 remains valid. We therefore have no reason to take steps to repeal it.

Cyprus

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 7 June, Official Report, column 56W, on Cyprus, if HM Government will (a) request the President of the UN Security Council to issue an invitation to Turkish Cypriot elected leaders to address the Security Council and (b) support an invitation from the UN Security Council for Turkish Cypriot elected leaders to address the Security Council under Article 32 of the Charter.

Denis MacShane: We have no plans to make such a request. As made clear in the previous answer, we would have no objection to elected leaders of the Turkish Cypriot community being invited to the UN Security Council in that capacity.

Democratic Republic of Congo

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the Government are providing for those judicial commissions which are investigating human rights outrages in Democratic Republic of Congo and Northern Uganda.

Bill Rammell: The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor announced the first formal ICC investigation on 23 June. No such decision has yet been taken with respect to northern Uganda. The ICC's examination of both situations is, therefore, at an early stage.
	The UK is a firm supporter of the ICC. We stand ready to consider the provision of diplomatic, practical and moral support to the ICC, on request, to enable the Court to function effectively. We have already expressed our willingness to provide such support and officials are considering various practical options.

Empty Houses

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for how many empty houses his Department is responsible; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has no empty houses in the United Kingdom. Because routine management of the overseas estate is devolved to our overseas Posts, it is not possible to identify empty houses overseas without incurring disproportionate costs.
	It is the FCO's policy to limit empty properties overseas to one of four categories: (a) those that must be vacated while undergoing refurbishment or adaptation; (b) those that are surplus and in the process of disposal; (c) those we cannot occupy because of a break in diplomatic relations or a similar eventuality, but which we expect to need in the future; and (d) those that are unoccupied during short gaps between officers' overseas tours.

EU Constitution

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the (a) wording and (b) article numbers of that wording are of each extension of qualified majority voting in the field of the Common Foreign and Security Policy contained in the text of the EU constitution.

Denis MacShane: The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe confirms that unanimity shall remain the general rule for decisions in Common Foreign and Security Policy. Article III-201.2 sets out the exceptions to this rule; this includes the existing areas of qualified majority voting and provides for the Council to act by qualified majority voting:
	"when adopting a European decision defining a Union action or position, on a proposal which the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs has presented following a specific request to him or her from the European Council, made on its own initiative or that of the Minister;" (Article III-201.2(b))
	The European Council operates at unanimity.
	Article I-27.1 provides for the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs to be appointed by qualified majority. This replicates current arrangements where the High Representative is appointed by qualified majority. The wording for Article I-27.1 is:
	"The European Council, acting by qualified majority, with the agreement of the President of the Commission, shall appoint the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs. The European Council may end his or her term of office by the same procedure."

Full-time Staff

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many full-time equivalent staff there were in (a) his Department and (b) agencies of the Department in each year from 1997.

Mike O'Brien: The number of UK based staff employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, including Wilton Park, since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 5,539 
			 1998 5,412 
			 1999 5,485 
			 2000 5,480 
			 2001 5,490 
			 2002 5,680 
			 October 2003 5,990 
		
	
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's single agency, Wilton Park, reported the following figures:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 35 
			 1998 37 
			 1999 39 
			 2000 40 
			 2001 50 
			 2002 60 
			 2003 60

Iraq

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who the British members of the International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB) are; how long he expects the IAMB to stay in existence; and when he expects to present to Parliament a report from the IAMB on its work.

Bill Rammell: The UK has no members on the International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB). The IAMB is an independent body established by the United Nations Security Council in UNSCR 1483 of 22 May 2003. Under UNSCR 1483, it was agreed that the membership of the IAMB would consist of representatives of the UN Secretary General, the Managing Director of the IMF, the Director-General of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, and the President of the World Bank. Under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546 of 8 June 2004, the Security Council subsequently agreed that the IAMB should also include a voting member designated by the Government of Iraq.
	UNSCR 1546 also decided that the role of the IAMB in monitoring the Development Fund for Iraq (DPI) shall be reviewed at the request of the Iraqi Interim Government or by 8 June 2005. The role of the IAMB will expire once a constitutionally elected government takes power by 31 December 2005.
	The IAMB is expected to issue its first report following the Board's next meeting on 14 and 15 July. The report and its finding will be put into the public domain, including the IAMB website (www.iamb.info).

Iraq

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate the rate of inflation in Iraq during the period of Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) rule; and what changes there were in charges for (a) petrol, (b) water and (c) electricity during the period of CPA rule.

Bill Rammell: Due to hand-recording of information, data for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as defined in Iraq are available only some months in arrears. However, based on an index of 100 in January 2003 the following monthly values for the CPI were recorded for the period end June 2003 to February 2004:
	
		
			  Value 
		
		
			 End June 2003 131.4 
			 August 2003 110.6 
			 September 2003 123.7 
			 October 2003 130.1 
			 November 2003 132.8 
			 December 2003 135.8 
			 January 2004 135.1 
			 February 2004 128.0 
		
	
	It is likely that this pattern reflects the early appreciation of the Iraqi Dinar over this period and the subsequent stability of the Dinar: Dollar exchange rate, which has resulted in a fall in the cost of imported goods.
	The Coalition Provisional Authority made no changes to the charges levied for petrol, water or electricity.

Iraq

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who the British members of the Progress Review Board were during the period of the Iraqi Coalition Provisional Authority; and from which enterprises or agency they were drawn.

Bill Rammell: The UK had one voting member on the Programme Review Board during the tenure of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). Senior officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development filled this role.

Iraq

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the new Iraqi Government intend to implement Resolution 137 adopted by the Iraqi Governing Council.

Bill Rammell: We are not aware of any plans by the Interim Iraqi Government to implement Resolution 137 on the application of the rules of Shari'a (Islamic) law in the personal status code. Resolution 137 was repealed by the Iraqi Governing Council. However, this is a matter for the new Iraqi Government.

Iraq

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the new Iraqi Government have made an explicit commitment to equal rights for women.

Bill Rammell: Article 12 of the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) states that:
	"All Iraqis are equal in their rights without regard to gender, sect, opinion, belief, nationality, religion, or origin, and they are equal before the law. Discrimination against an Iraqi citizen on the basis of his gender, nationality, religion, or origin is prohibited. Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and the security of his person. No one may be deprived of his life or liberty, except in accordance with legal procedures. All are equal before the courts."
	It is clear from our continued dialogue with the Interim Iraqi Government, in place since 1 June, that there is a clear Iraqi commitment to ensuring the rights of all Iraqis, in line with Article 12 of the TAL and UNSCR 1546.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of Iraq's oil revenues during Coalition Provisional Authority rule.

Bill Rammell: Over the period 28 May 2003 to 24 June 2004, total proceeds from Iraq's oil exports were US$11.1 billion. During the Coalition's tenure all revenue from the sale of Iraq's oil was paid into the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI), which was established on 22 May 2003. Information on the revenues, disbursements and account balances of the DFI during the Coalition Provisional Authority's tenure can be found at: http://www.cpa-iraq.org/budget/DFI intro1.html

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  on what date the signals intelligence referred to in paragraph 89 of Cm 5972 shows that an Iraqi official visited Niger; and if he will name the Iraqi official referred to;
	(2)  whether the signals intelligence referred to in paragraph 89 of Cm 5972 concerning a visit by an Iraqi official to Niger was passed on to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Denis MacShane: holding answer 7 July 2004
	As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary stated in his reply to my hon. Friend on 6 May 2004, Official Report, column 1733W, it would not be appropriate to comment publicly on the detail of this intelligence reporting. The security and intelligence services are not within the scope of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information (Part 1, Paragraph 6).

Middle East Peace Process

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with Syria about the Middle East Peace Process.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any recent discussions with Syrian interlocutors focusing on the Middle East Peace Process. However, my noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean discussed a wide range of issues, including the Middle East Peace Process, with the Syrian Government during her visit to Damascus on 8 to 9 June. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials are also in regular contact with the Syrian Government on this issue.

Ministerial Air Travel

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for each year since 1997 the number of miles flown by each Minister in his Department on official departmental business.

Jack Straw: There is no central record of miles flown by each Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister, on official departmental business.
	All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Mordechai Vanunu

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government regarding continuing speech and travel restrictions on Mordechai Vanunu; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not made any representations to the Israeli Government about the restrictions placed upon Mordechai Vanunu. However, my noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean has raised our concerns with the Israeli Chargé d'Affaires, as has our Ambassador in Tel Aviv with the Israeli Government. We recognise that Israel has a right to protect its national interest but we are concerned that the restrictions may be excessive and punitive.
	Mordechai Vanunu was released on 21 April 2004. He is subject to limitations on his movements: he cannot leave Israel; he must inform Israeli authorities of his residence; and he cannot have any contact with foreigners. The restriction on foreign travel will be reviewed after a year, the other restrictions after six months. Mr. Vanunu is challenging these restrictions through the Israeli courts. Mr. Vanunu is currently staying at the Anglican cathedral in Jerusalem.

Nepal

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what position was taken by the British Government on Nepal at the 2004 meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights; and what the text was of the chairperson's statement on Nepal.

Mike O'Brien: The UK welcomed the Chairman's statement on the need to improve the human rights situation in Nepal, which was issued with the backing of the Royal Nepalese Government. We will be working to support the Nepalese Government in its implementation of its commitments mentioned in that statement. The full text of the Chairman's statement has been placed in the Library of the House.

Occupied Palestinian Territories

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Israeli soldiers have been charged with unlawfully killing unarmed civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Bill Rammell: To the best of our knowledge, four Israeli Defence Force soldiers have been charged with the unlawful killing of unarmed civilians in the Occupied Territories.

Oil for Food Programme

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what investigations are taking place into possible misuse of the UN Oil for Food Programme; and what UK Government involvement is in those investigations, including forensic audit work by UK citizens and enterprises.

Bill Rammell: In April 2004 the UN Secretary-General appointed a high-level independent inquiry into allegations of misadministration and corruption of the UN's Oil for Food Programme. The inquiry was unanimously endorsed by the Security Council in resolution 1538 adopted on 21 April 2004. The Government supports the inquiry into these serious allegations, and is co-operating fully through all appropriate means with the inquiry. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office met the Head of the UN inquiry, Paul Volcker, in London in May.
	Separately, before the hand-over of authority in Iraq on 28 June, the Coalition Provisional Authority called for an investigation into the allegations under the auspices of the Iraqi Board of Supreme Audit. In May 2004, auditors Ernst and Young won the contract to undertake the Iraqi investigation.
	The Government are aware that committees of the US Senate and Congress have also made inquiries into the allegations, and UK officials have met committee representatives in London, Washington and New York. The Government continues to follow developments in the UN inquiry, and any information received by the Government are being passed to the appropriate authorities for their consideration.

Pay Systems

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library the most recent review of (a) his Department's pay systems, (b) the pay systems of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible and (c) the departmental equal pay action plan.

Mike O'Brien: In 1999 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) introduced a new pay and grading structure covering all but the most senior grades. Copies of the short documents setting out the results of this review will be placed in the Library of the House. No such documents exist for the non-departmental bodies for which the FCO is responsible, but they broadly follow the same system.
	In 2004, the FCO introduced a new pay system for the Senior Management Structure, in line with arrangements introduced in 2002 for the Senior Civil Service. A copy of the guidance issued to staff will be placed in the Library of the House.
	The FCO's Equal Pay Action Plan was submitted to the Cabinet Office in 2003. When discussion on it has been completed it is our intention to place it in the Library of the House.

PFI/PPP Contracts

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many contracts have been let by his Department in each financial year since 2001–02 to (a) PriceWaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte and Touche, (c) KPMG and (d) Ernst and Young for advising his Department on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts; and what fees were paid in each case.

Bill Rammell: Five contracts for advice on PPP and PFI contracts were awarded to ATOS KPMG during the period in question. These are set out as follows:
	
		
			 Financial Year  Project  Amount (£) 
		
		
			 2003–2004 (1) Value For Money review of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Telecommunications Network 45,000 
			 2201–2002 2002–2003 1 April 2003 to date (1–4)Development of 'Future Firecrest', the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's next generation network computer system (four separate contracts). 1,120,000 1,450,000 2,959,000 
		
	
	No contracts have been let to the other companies mentioned.

Polisario Front

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has held with the Polisario Front about proposals to seek prisoner release. (181377)
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Bill Rammell: pursuant to his reply, 1 July 2004, Official Report, c. 432W
	Due to an administrative error, an incorrect answer was given to my hon. Friend's question. The answer should read as follows.
	Ministers and officials regularly call upon the parties to the Western Sahara dispute to take action on human rights issues.
	We have, along with our EU partners, made recent representations to the Polisario Front through the Irish EU Presidency urging the immediate release of the remaining Moroccan prisoners of war in their custody.
	The United Kingdom continues to seek a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution to the Western Sahara dispute that provides the people of the Western Sahara with an opportunity to exercise their right to self-determination.

Rwanda

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Rwanda concerning the reopening of the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Chris Mullin: I raised the reopening of Rwanda's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for humanitarian access when I met President Kagame in Kigali on 24 June. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn) raised the same point when he spoke to President Kagame on 29 June. The Rwandan Government announced that they had re-opened their border with the DRC on 3 July.

Spain (English-speaking Lawyers)

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will add to his Department's website list the contact details for English speaking lawyers who will assist British subjects in Spain.

Chris Mullin: Contact details for English speaking lawyers in the consular districts covered by our Consulates in Madrid, Las Palmas de Gran Canada, Palma de Mallorca and Tenerife, are already available on the British Embassy's "UK in Spain" website www.ukinspain.com. A link to this site can be found under the Travel Advice section for Spain on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website www.fco.gov.uk.
	I have asked our Consulates in Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao and Malaga to add details of lawyers in their districts to the "UK in Spain" site.

Sri Lanka

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government are taking to urge the Government of Sri Lanka to prevent the passage of legislation that will ban religious conversion and proselytising.

Mike O'Brien: Our High Commission in Colombo is following the situation closely. Freedom of religion is enshrined in the Sri Lankan constitution, and we have urged the authorities to ensure that the rights of all religious minorities in Sri Lanka are respected. High Commission staff have regular contact with the main Christian leaders, who have until recently advised against formal representations to the Sri Lankan authorities. The Catholic Bishops and the National Christian Council issued a joint statement on 29 June, which acknowledged the problem of unethical conversions, but argued that enacting legislation was not the solution. We will shortly be considering with EU partners whether further action might be appropriate.

Street Children (South America)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what action Her Majesty's Government are taking to urge the Governments of (a) Honduras, (b) Brazil and (c) Guatemala swiftly to prosecute and punish all those responsible for the murder of street children;
	(2)  what action Her Majesty's Government are taking to urge the Governments of (a) Honduras and (b) Brazil to improve the living conditions of juvenile detainees;
	(3)  what action Her Majesty's Government are taking to urge the Government of Brazil to combat the commercial sexual exploitation of children in that country and to bring the perpetrators of such exploitation to justice.

Bill Rammell: We have made clear to the Governments of Brazil, Honduras and Guatemala, bilaterally and with our EU partners, the importance we attach to respect for human rights, including those of children. We closely monitor the progress being made by the authorities in these countries on this issue and, in particular, on bringing those responsible for the murders of street children to justice.
	The chronic and well documented situation faced by street children in Brazil is a matter of concern and forms a regular part of our human rights dialogue with the Brazilian Government. The UK supports a number of practical projects in Brazil including human rights training for the Brazilian police and prison services; a small arms project in the slum areas of Rio de Janeiro; and work in Rio on giving people alternatives to involvement in violent and organised crime. While not exclusively focused on street children, these projects are relevant to many of the problems they face.
	I raised the plight of street children, and more generally the importance of protecting human rights, with the new Guatemalan Government during my visit there in January and with the Honduran Security Minister Oscar Alvarez during his visit to the UK in March. The UK and EU partners recently issued a statement at the Consultative Group meeting for Honduras in Tegucigalpa, which amongst other things, encouraged the Honduran Government to continue the progress made on improving human rights, making reference to the rights of children.
	The UK has also supported projects in Guatemala and Honduras to improve the conditions of and protect vulnerable children.

Venezuela

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with (a) United States of America Government officials and (b) Colombian Government officials regarding Venezuela since May 2004; what the nature of such discussions was; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials in London and at the British embassies in Washington and Bogota maintain regular contact with officials from the US and Colombian Governments on a wide range of matters, including the situation in Venezuela.

Venezuela

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with Venezuelan Government officials regarding (a) the forthcoming presidential recall referendum on 15 August and (b) the charges laid against 64 Colombian nationals in Venezuela in June; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: None. However, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials, both in London and at the British embassy in Caracas hold regular discussions with Venezuelan Government officials about various issues, including those raised by the hon. Member.

Welsh/Gaelic Languages

Brian Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will bring forward proposals for recognition of Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic under Article IV of the EU Constitutional Treaty; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: Article IV-10 provides a mechanism which enables member states to translate the Treaty into languages that are officially recognised in all or part of their territory and place a copy of this translation in the archives of the Council. The Government will consider into which languages they will translate the Treaty nearer the time of the publication of an official version of the Treaty.

Zimbabwe

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with President Mbeki of South Africa about the future of Zimbabwe.

Chris Mullin: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 11 May 2004, Official Report, column 143. There have been no further discussions with President Mbeki since then. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last discussed Zimbabwe with the South African Foreign Minister on 12 June.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Abortions

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the number of terminations conducted in the Province on account of (a) foot deformities, (b) cleft lips and (c) cleft palate in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The Abortion Act 1967 does not extend to Northern Ireland. Consequently the termination of a pregnancy is not permitted except where necessary to save the life of the mother or where continuation of the pregnancy would involve risk of serious injury to her physical or mental health.

Caesarean Sections

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the (a) numbers and (b) proportion of caesarean section operations in obstetric private practice.

Angela Smith: Information on the numbers and proportion of caesarean section operations in obstetric private practice is not available.

Carers and Direct Payments Act

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made by each (a) health and social service board and (b) health trust towards the implementation of the Carers and Direct Payments (Northern Ireland) Act 2002.

Angela Smith: The Carers and Direct Payments (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 came fully into effect on 19 April 2004. The Department has consulted on and issued detailed guidance to Health and Social Services Boards and Trusts on delivering the key provisions of the Act. We are continuing to work with HPSS professionals, service users and carers to ensure that the full benefits of the legislation are realised and I have made specific reference to Carers and Direct Payments in my 2004–05 Priorities for Action for the HPSS.

Complementary Medicine

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on complementary medical therapies available on the NHS in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: Interest in complementary therapies has increased in recent years. Trusts are providing some complementary and alternative therapies, mainly for people with cancer and for those with learning disabilities.
	The Department's view is that the HPSS should make available only those therapies which are statutorily regulated, or have a powerful mechanism for voluntary self-regulation, by reference from doctors and other health care professionals working in primary, secondary or tertiary care. In addition, complementary therapies provided on the HPSS should have appropriate evidence of efficacy to support their clinical and cost-effectiveness and must be provided by accredited practitioners with appropriate training and qualifications.
	However, in the final analysis it must be for HPSS clinicians or health care practitioners with lead clinical responsibility for the individual patient to judge whether, when and how an individual patient could benefit from the use of a particular therapy. Wherever possible the patient should be actively involved in this process and in any agreed plan for his or her treatment.

Down's Syndrome

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) births and (b) terminations of babies with Down's Syndrome there were in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The number of children born each year with Down's Syndrome is shown in the following table.
	
		Number of Down's Syndrome births, 1999–2003
		
			  Number of births 
		
		
			 1999 27 
			 2000 32 
			 2001 36 
			 2002 34 
			 2003(13) 32 
		
	
	(13) Figures not yet published by CMO
	Source: Northern Ireland Child Health System
	The Abortion Act 1967 does not extend to Northern Ireland. Consequently the termination of a pregnancy is not permitted except whether necessary to save the life of the mother or where continuation of the pregnancy would involve risk of serious injury to her physical or mental health.

Educational Opportunities (Working-class Children)

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to improve educational opportunities for children from working-class backgrounds in the province.

Barry Gardiner: My aim is to ensure that all children and young people in Northern Ireland are educated to the highest possible standards. The priorities and plans for future years reflect my determination to deliver real improvements for all and to assist the most disadvantaged. There are a number of current programmes that specifically support children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds including the School Support Programme, the Reading Recovery Programme, and the provision of summer literacy and numeracy schemes. Additional funding to promote access is provided through the FE funding formula, and a range of widening access programmes encourages young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into further and higher education.
	In addition, major reforms to the curriculum and post-primary arrangements will seek to maximise the opportunities for all children and young people, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Empty Houses

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for how many empty houses his Department is responsible; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Northern Ireland Departments are responsible for 14 vacant houses. These properties belong to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Northern Ireland Office.

Grammar Schools

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what account he took of the public consultation in Northern Ireland on reform of the 11-plus about the future of grammar schools in Northern Ireland.

Barry Gardiner: The Post-Primary Review Working Group was required by its remit to take account of the responses to all strands of the consultation on the Burns Report. The survey showed that 57 per cent. of respondents wanted an end to the 11-plus. The Government has accepted the advice of the Post-Primary Review Working Group as a sound basis for future post-primary arrangements.

HIV/AIDS

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many sufferers from (a) HIV and (b) AIDS there are in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: At 31 March 2004, there were an estimated (a) 290 HIV infected individuals and (b) 106 AIDS cases in Northern Ireland. The figures refer to the cumulative numbers of persons diagnosed with HIV or AIDS in Northern Ireland. Some persons who are no longer living in Northern Ireland may be included.

HIV/AIDS

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of HIV were diagnosed in Northern Ireland between 1 January and 30 June.

Angela Smith: Information is not available on the number of HIV cases diagnosed between 1 January and 30 June. However, during the calendar year 2003, there were 31 HIV affected individuals diagnosed.

Ministerial Air Travel

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list for each year since 1997 the number of miles flown by each Minister on official departmental business.

Ian Pearson: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Police Service

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the baseline is against which the Police Service's target of achieving a five per cent. reduction in complaints under section 52 (4) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 will be assessed.

Ian Pearson: The Police Service of Northern Ireland has advised that their target of a 5 per cent. reduction in complaints by March 2005 will be assessed against the number of complaints received by the Police Ombudsman in year 2003–2004, which was 2,977.

Police Service

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) police officers available for duty, (b) officers available for duty who are full-time reservists and (c) civilian staff employed by the police there are in each district command.

Ian Pearson: Details of the total number of police officers available for duty (both regular and FTR) and the number of civilian staff employed by the police in each district command are as follows. Details have also been supplied of officers attached to crime operations and roads policing as these officers perform operational duty in district command units, even though they are attached to headquarters departments.
	
		Actual number of regulars and full-time reservists in district command units as at 29 June 2004
		
			 Region/division Regulars Full-time reservists Totals 
		
		
			 Rural
			 Armagh 127 51 178 
			 Banbridge 92 21 113 
			 Ballymena 139 18 157 
			 Ballymoney 63 12 75 
			 Coleraine 130 30 160 
			 Cookstown 87 24 111 
			 Craigavon 190 41 231 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 136 40 176 
			 Down 168 49 217 
			 Fermanagh 174 53 227 
			 Foyle 253 61 314 
			 Limavady 79 21 100 
			 Magherafelt 89 42 131 
			 Moyle 28 10 38 
			 Newry and Mourne 190 54 244 
			 Omagh 127 30 157 
			 Strabane 107 39 146 
			 
			 Urban
			 Antrim 137 48 185 
			 Ards 145 38 183 
			 Belfast East 207 122 329 
			 Belfast North 345 79 424 
			 Belfast South 357 88 445 
			 Belfast West 243 136 379 
			 Carrickfergus 75 39 114 
			 Castlereagh 129 58 187 
			 Larne 75 15 90 
			 Lisburn 217 76 293 
			 Newtownabbey 154 22 176 
			 North Down 160 48 208 
			 Grand total 4,423 1,365 5,788 
		
	
	
		Actual numbers of regulars and full-time reservists attached to crime operations in headquarters and roads policing in regions
		
			  Regulars Full-time reservists Totals 
		
		
			 Crime operations 1,182 1 1,183 
			 
			 Roads policing
			 Rural 125 — 125 
			 Urban 108 — 108 
			 Grand total 1,415 1 1,416 
		
	
	
		Actual number of civilian staff employed in each district command unit (civilian, agency and external funded staff)
		
			 Region/division Total 
		
		
			 Rural  
			 Armagh 46 
			 Banbridge 42 
			 Ballymena 57 
			 Ballymoney 30 
			 Coleraine 54 
			 Cookstown 41 
			 Craigavon 82 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 42 
			 Down 57 
			 Fermanagh 71 
			 Foyle 109 
			 Limavady 31 
			 Magherafelt 33 
			 Moyle 8 
			 Newry and Mourne 60 
			 Omagh 47 
			 Strabane 31 
			   
			 Urban  
			 Antrim 40 
			 Ards 60 
			 Belfast East 72 
			 Belfast North 103 
			 Belfast South 156 
			 Belfast West 68 
			 Carrickfergus 30 
			 Castlereagh 40 
			 Larne 29 
			 Lisburn 74 
			 Newtownabbey 42 
			 North Down 51 
			 Grand total 1,606 
		
	
	
		Actual numbers of civilian staff employed in crime operations in headquarters and roads policing in regions (civilian, agency and external funded staff)
		
			  Totals 
		
		
			 Crime operations 504 
			   
			 Roads policing  
			 Rural 12 
			 Urban 8 
			 Grand total 524

Sports Institute

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made with regard to the establishment of the Sports Institute for Northern Ireland; and whether the institute plans to include a 50 m swimming pool in the development proposals.

Angela Smith: Services for high performance athletes have been provided through the Sports Institute for Northern Ireland since July 2001. These include strength and conditioning advice, physiotherapy and injury management, sports medicine, sports science, athlete career and education and high performance planning. A capital investment programme is currently being finalised which will include facilities for athletes from a wide range of sports. There are currently no plans to include a 50 m pool within the institute.

Windsor Park

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment was made of whether Windsor Park was of a sufficient standard to host international football matches during the development of the Football Strategy.

Angela Smith: The Soccer Strategy Advisory Panel in its report, "Creating A Soccer Strategy for Northern Ireland" published in October 2001, considered no stadium in Northern Ireland, including Windsor Park, to be of a sufficient standard to host international football matches. In response to the Panel's report, the governing body of soccer in Northern Ireland, the Irish Football Association (IFA), produced a Development Plan for football in May 2003. This contains a cost proposal for upgrading Windsor Park to the required standard and also includes a statement declaring the IFA's interest in a shared, multi-purpose facility, capable of hosting international football matches.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Children in Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will list authorities which have brought in an independent agency to review cases of children taken into care;
	(2)  how many care orders have so far been lifted this year as a result of his review into cases of children taken into care on account of expert evidence;
	(3)  which social services departments have declined to re-open cases of children taken into care on the basis of expert evidence since the Minister for Children announced the review into civil cases;
	(4)  which authorities have reviewed cases of children taken into care in compliance with his Department's request; and how many cases have been looked at in each case.

Margaret Hodge: In accordance with my statement to the House on 23 February 2004, Official Report, column 37, Local Authority Circular 2004(5) was issued, setting out the steps that Councils with social services responsibilities were to undertake in relation to children who were the subject of current proceedings or past, but still extant, court orders.
	With the assistance of the Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS), a survey has been undertaken of those children who are the subject of current proceedings. The results of this survey were published on 17 June, with the survey being placed in the Libraries of both Houses, together with a written Ministerial statement. The survey results published on 17 June relate to "open" cases that are currently before the courts.

Drinking Water (Schools)

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will provide further guidance to (a) local education authorities, (b) schools and (c) governors, indicating that drinking water should be made available to pupils throughout the day.

Stephen Twigg: As a Department we are aware of the importance of pupils drinking water during the school day and the benefits that it brings. The "Healthy School Lunches" guidance, published by DfES, contains the Secretary of State's expectation that drinking water should be made available to all pupils every day, free of charge.
	We have already revised the non-statutory guidance in Building Bulletin 87 Guidelines for Environmental Design in Schools for the design of new buildings (www.teachernet.gov.uk/energy). Section 5 of BB87 describes what DfES considers is adequate provision of drinking water supplies.
	We will also be revising The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 to make the requirements for drinking water clearer. The revision will ensure compatibility with Regulation 22 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations, 1992.
	The forthcoming Healthy Living Blueprint will include guidance on both the importance of drinking water and how schools can increase their pupils' consumption.

Education Maintenance Allowances

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of young people who received education maintenance allowances in each pilot area were studying in further education colleges.

Ivan Lewis: Nationally, 36 per cent. of 16–18 year olds on full-time further education courses are studying in further education colleges. In the 56 EMA pilot areas 136 sixth form colleges/colleges of Further Education were involved in EMA. A breakdown of how many students attending Further Education colleges who received EMA in the pilot areas is not available.

Head Teachers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to increase the number of head teachers.

David Miliband: Responsibility for the recruitment of headteachers rests with LEAs and governing bodies. However, effective training and development of school leaders to take on senior leadership posts is vital. That is why, in 2000, we established The National College for School Leadership (NCSL) to be the key agent for transforming the quality of leadership in our schools.
	The National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) is now mandatory and there are over 8,000 aspiring headteachers currently undertaking the programme. More than 12,500 have graduated from the programme since it first started in 1997.

Learning and Skills Councils

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress he has made in his discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister with regard to the Deputy Prime Minister's proposals for devolving responsibility for learning and skills councils to the English regions.

Ivan Lewis: Chapter 4 of the White Paper "Your Region, Your Choice: Revitalising the English Regions", set out our proposals for strengthening the links between local Learning and Skills Councils and elected regional assemblies in regions where they are established. The Skills Strategy White Paper of July 2003 emphasised the importance of LSCs working closely with Regional Development Agencies to ensure a close alignment between supply and demand for adult skills in meeting regional priorities. There are no proposals for devolving responsibility for local Learning and Skills Councils to regions. The draft of the Bill that would be needed to establish elected regional assemblies will be published soon. This will set out the powers, functions and structures of elected assemblies.

Learning and Skills Councils

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many local learning and skills councils were informed of their 2004–05 allocations by the National Learning and Skills Council by 31 May.

Ivan Lewis: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The LSC decides the funding allocations at local level. Information about the timing of these allocations is not collected by the Department. This is an operational matter and the responsibility of the LSC. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Level 1/2/3/4 Qualifications

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many adults he expects to (a) apply for and (b) achieve a level one qualification other than basic skills in the Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council region in (i) 2004–05, (ii) 2005–06 and (iii) 2006–07;
	(2)  whether all people in the Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council region who wish to study for a basic skills qualification in a further education college in academic year 2004–05 are guaranteed a place; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether all further education colleges in the Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council region have received their funding allocations for 2004–05; and how many allocations were received (a) before 31 May and (b) after 31 May;
	(4)  how many adults he expects to (a) apply for and (b) achieve a (i) level four, (ii) level three and (iii) level two qualification in Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council region in (A) 2004–05, (B) 2005–06 and (C) 2006–07;
	(5)  how many 14 to 16 year olds in the Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council region he expects to spend time studying in a further education college in (a) 2004–05, (b) 2005–06, (c) 2006–07; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such provision in each case.

Ivan Lewis: These are matters for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Ministerial Meetings

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what meetings (a) he and (b) his ministerial colleagues have had with the Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council since 17 March to discuss funding for further education colleges.

Ivan Lewis: My ministerial colleagues and I have regular meetings with the Learning and Skills Council's Chief Executive, Mark Haysom, to discuss a wide range of issues relating to the LSC, including the funding of further education.

Public Service Agreements

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2004, Official Report, columns 1429–30W, on schools (external controls), if he will list (a) the six public service agreements (PSAs), (b) the 27 components of PSAs, (c) the 13 further PSA related targets, measures and compliance requirements and (d) the 167 non-PSA related targets, measures and compliance requirements referred to in Chart 2.7 of Devolving decision making: Delivering better public services: refining targets and performance management;
	(2)  when he will reply to question reference 171775 from the hon. Member for Fareham.

David Miliband: holding answer 10 May 2004
	Information relating to the measures identified by the authors of the report and referred to in Chart 2.7 is available via the internet website addresses given below. The measures are relevant only to certain phases of school education, and are a mixture of information requirements and subjects for judgments made by Ofsted inspectors. The majority of the measures are attributable to Ofsted and their arrangements for conducting school inspections and can be found on their website at www.ofstedgov.uk/inspectors/
	The PSAs and the PSA components are on the Treasury's website at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/performance/
	Information about the further PSA related and the non-PSA related targets, measures and compliance requirements can be found on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/delivering-results/ and on the website for the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister www.bvpi.gov.uk/

CABINET OFFICE

Expatriate Retired Civil Servants

Steve Webb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether civil servants who retire abroad to a country where pensions are frozen for expatriates continue to have their guaranteed minimum pension uprated; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: When a pensioner covered by the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) becomes permanently resident in a country where state pensions are frozen for expatriates, the Inland Revenue advises the PCSPS that the state pension will not attract uprating increases. The PCSPS will then uprate the Guaranteed Minimum Pension element of the PCSPS pension in line with increases under the Pensions Increase Orders.

Regulatory Offices

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what measures he has taken to establish a comprehensive list of independent regulators following the October 2003 Better Regulation Task Force report.

Douglas Alexander: As indicated in our response to the Better Regulation Task Force Report, which I announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on Monday 9 February 2004, Official Report, column. 61WS, the Government is undertaking a review of the variety and complexity of public bodies sponsored by central government departments. As part of the review, we will consider identifying those which can be classified as independent regulators.
	The review is currently in progress. We expect to complete the review and make the results available by the end of the year.